Jamie Cullum -- A Diamond in the Rough

Many artists today don't possess the raw talent that it takes to fuse new ideas with classic songs, and much less to write their own, original music. But Jamie Cullum isn't most artists. In his most recent album, The Pursuit, he puts a refreshing spin on songs such as Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" and Leslie Bricusse's "If I Ruled the World". He has a great talent for taking older songs and making them relevant again. But no matter the context of the song, you’ll be humming along to all of these hits in no time.
The Pursuit is Jamie Cullum's most experimental album to date. He flows effortlessly from bluesy ballads to jazz/pop influenced upbeat melodies. Although the fluidity of the album could be questioned by some, Jamie's quirky spirit carries through from song to song, tying the album together with a perfect bow.
Of all the star-quality songs on this album, "I'm All Over It" may shine the brightest. A break-up song with a happy outlook, it will have you throwing down your Ben & Jerry's and struttin' your stuff while Cullum croons "I'm all over it now, and I can't say how glad I am about that!" Another gem, "Not While I'm Around" puts a calming and yet affirmative twist on Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd ballad.
Showing us that he can make an extremely diverse album without losing sight of himself and his style is just one of Jamie Cullum's many talents. After this album, it's safe to say that Mr. Cullum and his deliciously raspy vocals are going to be sticking around for quite some time.

X-Tina Over-Shoots, and Barely Scores

Thefreedictionary.com defines "Bionic" as "Having extraordinary strength, powers, or capabilities; superhuman." Choosing this as the title to her most recent album, Christina Aguilera misleads her fans. Although her vocal capabilities are the epitome of the qualities listed above, the majority of tracks on her latest album bring to mind slightly different describing words.
While many of the tracks missed the mark, there were a few that did hit dead on, propping Aguilera back up on to her pimped-out pop diva throne.The opening track, and namesake for the album, is a decidedly powerful "blast-off". It does, as the lyrics say, "hit 'cha like a rocket". In a good way. The sound effects seem almost randomly picked, but come together nicely. The audience won't mind the fact that the robot Christina is "taking over their mind-frames" in the slightest. Similar to the first, track two is also a hit. It's almost as if Christina is aware of, and attempting to prepare her listeners for, the multiple 'misses' that follow. Most of these songs flirt very heavily with mediocrity. Amidst these assembly line songs there are a few more hidden gems, but the listener has to be willing to suffer through the bulk of the album to get to them. Songs to keep your ears peeled (through the fog) for: "You Lost Me" and "I am".
The beauty in Aguilera's voice is just that, her voice. Her range is insane, and her vocal acrobatics could amaze even the most cynical critic. This album's use of special effects and robotic disguises is a misguided attempt to sell records. The sooner she realizes that simple fact, the better. Aguilera needs to get back to actually singing, and leave the voice modulation to Kanye. This album seems almost a desperate attempt to Xerox Lady Gaga and simultaneously tack X-Tina back on to the Top 40 map. Although her efforts in reinvention were endearing, she really should stick to what she does best.

Ultimately, the futuristic cogs were trying entirely too hard to "crank out the hits" on this one.