Jamie Cullum- Wheels

What?  A song that is actually on the radio?  You mean Jay is going to actually write a blog about a song that someone other than him has heard before?  Damn straight.  Although it's not getting the uber-repetitive play of a Black-eyed Peas song, I'm really digging "Wheels" at the moment (and using dated hipster speak phrases such as "dig" apparently).   

Jamie Cullum is one of those artists who I keep hearing songs that I like, but I've never actually put my money where my mouth is and bought one of his albums.  I like Jamie Cullum though.  He's got a smooth jazz voice, rocks the piano, and does really cool jazz versions of hip-hop songs (he's covered Pharrell's "Frontin" and Rhianna's "Please don't stop the music").  If I were to go all SAT on you, I would say that Jamie Cullum : Jazz :: John Mayer : Blues.  He's a talented songwriter, who has mastered his instrument in the traditional musical sense (Mayer is a master blues guitarist, Cullum a master jazz pianist).  He's like Harry Connick Jr. only more brash and British.

"Wheels" is more of a pop song than a jazz song, and it's also distinctly modern.  Two things make this song work: the piano riff and the drums.  The drums provide the song's backbone: a constant chugging sound that sounds like it's being played with those drum sticks that are basically wire brooms.  I don't know what they're really called but they give the drums a hushed sound and keep the rhythm chugging along.


The piano riff is still jazzed bassed but it has a really modern sound.  It's almost like if U2 wrote a piano song, this is what it would sound like.  The riff isn't a whole lot of notes and repeats itself a lot (it's almost, dare I say, cyclical...like a wheel...maybe?).  Mix that with the "woooaaaooowoahhhh" chorus and it becomes a pretty infectious song.  Click here to hear the song.  And click here for a live version of "Frontin'" that begins with Jamie playing his piano as if it were a drum. (I found this while I was looking for the video of Wheels, and it blew my mind.  Who knew you could play a piano like that??!)


On a blog related note: I know I have been slack lately, but chalk it up to a busy schedule and a case of writer's block.  More songs to come!  I promise!!