Devil May Care

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Candid’s 2010 release Devil May Care! cannibalizes seven tracks from Jamie Cullum’s 2002 sophomore set, Pointless Nostalgic, and since this album is only ten cuts, that’s a fair portion of the record. The other three tracks are unreleased material from the Pointless Nostalgic sessions: a spare strings-and-voice arrangement by Geoff Gascoyne of Brian Wilson’s “God Only Knows,” a nice version of “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” that fits right in with the rest of the sessions, and “Small Day Tomorrow,” which features the legendary Bob Dorough on lead vocals. “God Only Knows” is the biggest departure from the voice/piano/bass/drums instrumentation of the album but it fits well into the warm, intimate vibe of the sessions, which offer a friendly, well-manicured spin on Harry Connick, Jr.’s Sinatra throwback. While it’s unclear why there’s a whole new title instead of an expanded reissue of Pointless Nostalgic, this is nevertheless an enjoyable snapshot of Cullum at his jazziest.