Jamie Cullum is England's answer to Harry Connick Jr. I've always been a fan of the Louisiana Crooner, but as good as his last album Only You was, it's got nothing on Cullum's Twentysomething.

Cullum has been around for a while (he has an earlier album called Pointless Nostalgic), and I've even been informed that at one point, he fronted a punk band in his homeland. Upon hearing Harry Connick Jr. (as well as a slew of other influential muscisians), the young lad decided it was time to start singing a different tune, so he began to hone a jazzier sound and was soon making the rounds live doing everything from a unique cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary," to an absolutely absorbing rendition of "High and Dry" (a version that reportedly won over Radiohead).

Both "Wind Cries Mary" and "High and Dry" are featured on his stunning CD Twentysomething as are a few other rousing covers (Cullum manages to put a nifty spin on the classic "Singin' in the Rain" and also does justice to Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should Have Come Over"), but it's his originals that I really want to point out, particularly "All At Sea," a gorgeous number that had me hooked immediately. Jamie's brother Ben also gets in on the action. He wrote the gem of an opener "These Are the Days" as well as the catchy "It's About Time."

Twentysomething will no doubt be criticized for being an album populated mostly by covers which is too bad really, because these are expertly crafted renditions with a world of creativity behind them (and the arrangements are heavenly), and Cullum's soulful, heartfelt voice is perfectly captured. Twentysomething is beautifully produced and features very little razzle dazzle. Producer Steven Levine allows the songs to speak for themselves (and the entire CD was recorded in analog - resulting in a clearer, more natural sound).

2004 is shaping up to be a strong year for music. The zboneman.com crew and I were just talking the other day about what a wildly diverse year it's been in the land of tunes. Titles by the likes of Loretta Lynn, Kanye West, Norah Jones, Pedro the Lion, Franz Ferdinand, The Walkmen and Muse will more than likely grace most of our best-of lists come the end of the year. You can add Jamie Cullum's stunning Twentysomething to mine.