Jamie Lidell‘s been in the business for a while,
making top-notch whiteboy soul, and he’s releasing “Jim†this summer. It’s an old-sounding album, a la Amy Winehouse (but Jim was doing it before she was), that borrows from gospel, funk, R n’ B, disco . . . There’s a little something for everyone here. A touch of Otis Redding, a pinch of Marvin Gaye . . . The influences are obvious, but that doesn’t mean Jamie doesn’t make his own music here.
“Wait for Me†sounds like a Ray Charles cover, complete with blazing piano solo in the classic my-piano-is-a-guitar style of Jerry Lee Lewis. And if you think that sounds like tons of fun, you’re right. “All I Wanna Do†sounds like The Neville Brothers, a sweet, gospel lament much like Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come.†This is a solid album with just enough nostalgia to make you smile, and enough originality to keep you guessing.
