Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum

Catching Tales (Verve)

Even with such an elfin physical presence, the buzz enveloping pianist/composer Jamie Cullum at SXSW 04 was enormous and eventually helped make his Verve debut, Twentysomething, a smash jazz/pop crossover. Now, the Grammy-nominated, multimillion-selling, relentlessly touring, London sparkplug returns with an engaging follow-up that rightfully leans more toward the pop. There's still a jazz sensibility in both his vocal phrasing and piano playing, but it largely takes a back seat to material – much of it original – that aims squarely at a pop audience. Too bad more of Catching Tales isn't along the lines of opener "Get Your Way," a beat-fresh Cullum original using an ingenious sampling of Joe Williams and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra's take on Allen Toussaint's "Get Out of My Life, Woman." Likewise, a smoldering, after-hours cover of Harry Warren's evergreen "I Only Have Eyes for You" and the funky, Fender Rhodes-enhanced "Back to the Ground" stand out against Cullum's introspective ballads, which tend to sap much of the fizz he so naturally brings to the table. There are certainly more tricks up his sleeve as his star continues to rise. Let's hope Cullum continues drawing inspiration from the bottomless jazz wellspring. (Friday, March 17, time TBA @ Eternal)