Do not buy this album. Do not borrow this album. Do not download it from iTunes. Don't get a burn from your friend. It sucks.
He plays piano alright. But I guess I'm totally rubbed the wrong way by guys like Jamie Cullum and Michael Bublé who only have a small amount of talent and try to cop some crooner Sinatra wannabe act.
So here this guy comes to try to put some hip new spin on an old genre. I saw him on t.v. once and he has this fun little shtick where he dances around and plays piano standing up. It's only good for a couple of songs, or when he covers Radiohead or Hendrix (like on his previous album "Twenty Something"). This album has none of that magic. His songs really aren't that good and coming from a piano player, this album is remarkably devoid of any interesting solos.
I've had this album in my collection for a few years and after the first few listens I've hardly touched it. This time around the thing rode around in my car in CD changer position #6 for two whole weeks before I finally listened to it. It was only because I took a road trip from my house to Waco, then Houston and back that I finally got around to playing it, and even then it was a chore getting through it. Some stuff is hard to listen to no matter how monotonous the highway gets.
The main problem with Cullum is that he can't decide who he wants to be. If you want to play Sinatra, go for it, but do it up right. By the same token, if you want to be a piano player, do your best Bruce Hornsby, Ben Folds or even Billy Joel -- at least those guys are serious about their instrument. Cullum's cheap crooner/piano player gimmick is wearing thin. Even Harry Connick, Jr. has that New Orleans thing going -- this guy's got nothin'.
cds
p.s. And that goes for you too, Michael Bublé. I saw you on Saturday Night Live the other night and you were totally uninspiring. You can't sing either.
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