Following a brace of 2004 Top 30 singles, support slots with
Ginuwine and
Mario Winans, and an appearance in street-dance flick Step Up,
Jamie Scott was poised to become the next big British R&B star. However, the singer/songwriter spent the subsequent three years following the shelving of his debut album, Soul Searching, concentrating on a much more organic stripped-back acoustic sound that has more in common with the '70s AOR of
James Taylor and the mellow soul of
Donny Hathaway than the modern urban production of
Craig David and
Jay Sean. With claims that he never listened to contemporary music while growing up, the self-taught multi-instrumentalist's first album to be officially released,
Park Bench Theories, does indeed sound like it could have been recently discovered in a dusty vinyl collector's basement. With backing by his regular five-piece band,
the Town, its 13 heartfelt and melodic tracks, co-written with the likes of
Linda Perry (
P!nk),
Martin Terefe (
KT Tunstall), and Tracie Ackerman (
Kylie Minogue), all possess an effortlessly timeless feel that belies
Scott's young age. The shuffling percussion, bluesy piano chords, and flashes of electric guitar on "London Town" recall the organic folk of early
Paul Simon, "When Will I See Your Face Again" is a beautifully understated melancholic ode to a lost love, and the chiming guitars and driving chorus of "Changes" echo the tender indie balladry of
Coldplay's
Parachutes. Best of all is the epic "Shadows," which begins with sparse acoustics and a gorgeous lilting piano hook and ends in a powerful but subtle crescendo of soaring violins and distorted feedback. Of course, the album's most powerful weapon is
Scott himself, whose wondrous jazz-soul tones, part
John Mayer, part
Jeff Buckley, part
Stevie Wonder, are able to elevate the occasionally bland and samey production into an engaging listen. He may share the same first name as fellow retro-inspired guitarist/songwriters
Morrison and
Blunt, but
Park Bench Theories proves that
Scott is undoubtedly the more authentic proposition. ~ Jon O'Brien