Jamie Cullum puts his multifold talents on display on his impressive sophomore outing, "Catching Tales." He is a fine jazz bird, a solid pop songsmith and an exuberant performer on this 14-song effort, which has not a dud in the pack. There is a buoyancy to Cullum's delivery on originals like the full-sail jaunt "Nothing I Do," the funky "Back to the Ground" and the Motown soul-ish "Mind Trick." He plays the crooning jazz card on the Jimmy Dorsey ballad "I'm Glad There Is You," while putting a hip electronica twist on the standard "I Only Have Eyes for You." The two standout tracks are Cullum's reflective "21st Century Kid" and the jazz-infused, hip-hop-energized opener, "Get Your Way," a collaboration with Dan the Automator built on a brass-swinging sample from a Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra tune. —Dan Ouellette