Gather 'round for storytime

With "Get Your Way," the opening track off his second major full-length release, Catching Tales (a fitting title since most songs are narrative voice-overs), Jamie Cullum seems to have taken the jazz influences from the many swing covers off his last album, Twentysomething, and nicely incorporated them into a more modern, swing style of his own. This popping, upbeat number complete with a soulful, funk strut shows that Cullum need not only cover 1950s standards, but can make his own.\nHowever, things quickly go wrong on the second track, "London Skies." Suddenly Cullum switches from a slick crooner to a whiny singer/songwriter laying his problems out to a pretty girl just like Ryan Cabrera or John Mayer. For the next few tracks, Cullum rambles on about past relationships and memories, and wonders how to make things right. His hope for better things to come just sounds cheesy.\nCullum once again goes back to cover some old favorites including "I Only Have Eyes For You" and "Our Day Will Come." Cullum doesn't experience as much success with covers as he did on his last album. Before, Cullum breathed so much energy and life into old songs. Now the covers are just mediocre. The bland and bass-laden "I Only Have Eyes For You" is filled with pointless echoing, and sounds like something out of a swing night from "American Idol." Even Paula wouldn't approve. Cullum fares much better on the soothing, relaxing cover of "I'm Glad There is You."\nThe album isn't bad at all though. Things pick up in the album's second half, where Cullum ditches the sulky Cabrera/Mayer form and gets back to his jazz style. It is here where the album's best song, "7 Days to Change Your Life" appears. The song, an infomercial for some sort of self-help program, comes off like Coldplay's "Fix You" sung by a cocky asshole more interested in knowing he helped someone than in the person's happiness. It sounds like it belongs in some delightfully deranged Broadway musical. \nBut the second half also sees a more cynical Cullum. On his first album Cullum had songs like "These are the Days" that celebrated the mystery of youth. Now on "Oh God" he uses lyrics like "Oh God can you tell us when it's going to stop…Oh God can we win back what we have lost."\nWith 15 tracks, Catching Tales runs a little long and a few songs could have been shaved off. Catching Tales improves with repeated listenings, but Cullum has a bit of a slump on his hands. Here's hoping Cullum's thirties treat him better.