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Jamie Lidell, 'Jim'

British soul singer bids for happiest album of the year

By Tamara Palmer

Special to Metromix
April 29, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: An Englishman who’s been a long-time resident of Berlin, Jamie Lidell first made waves as one-half of Super Collider (with Cristian Vogel) with the international DJ favorite “Darn (Cold Way of Lovin’)” and two critically acclaimed albums. Now on his third solo album, Lidell has forged an individual path of Motown-influenced work. His song “Little Bit More” is his signature tune in America, thanks to its appearance in a frequently aired commercial for Target.

Why you should care: His boyish looks might be deceiving, but Lidell is a white guy with some true soul pipes and a delicate flair for songwriting with legitimate appeal to a wide age group.

Verdict: “I used to scream, when a whisper would do,” Lidell sings in the single “Another Day,” aptly describing how some subtlety and restraint serves his newest music well. It and selections like “Green Light” and “Little Bit of Feel Good” could help this to qualify as the happiest, most encouraging record of the year. Even when a song has a bit of a more dark and frenetic edge, as on “Hurricane,” the end result still uplifts.

X-Factor: His three Webisodes filmed in Hollywood, “Jamie Lidell is JIM,” give further insight into Lidell’s whimsical and gentle nature. One scene provides an unofficial video for “Another Day,” with Lidell playing with toy instruments and stuffed animals; it’s just as good (if not better) than the official version.