The Pursuit is the fifth studio album by Jamie Cullum. It was released on 10 November 2009 in the United Kingdom, and released in the United States and Canada on 2 March 2010. It was produced by Greg Wells and Martin Terefe, and mixed by Greg Wells, Thomas Juth and Ryan Hewitt. The album's title is taken from the novel The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. The album was recorded at a Los Angeles studio using songs that Cullum originally recorded at his Shepherd's Bush recording studio, Terrified Studios. The song "Mixtape" features Sophie Dahl on backing vocals.
The first single from the album, "I'm All Over It","First Single from The Pursuit" was released on 2 November 2009.
Music Week critic Andy Morris states in his review of the album, "The Cole Porter cover at the start won't surprise you, but the house track at the end just might. Cullum's fifth album does justice to his musical influences: from the Portishead-tinged 'If I Ruled The World' to the wonky groove of 'We Run Things', it's bold, experimental and the best thing Cullum's done."
Both the track listing and the cover-art for the album were released on 27 August 2009, art directed by Sacha (Spencer Trace) Teulon.
Track listing
Track #SongSongwriter(s)LengthNotes1"Just One of Those Things"Cole Porter4:352"I'm All Over It"Cullum, Ricky Ross3:403"Wheels"Cullum3:434"If I Ruled the World"Leslie Bricusse and Cyril Ornadel4:365"You and Me Are Gone"Cullum, Geoff Gascoyne, Sebastian de Krom5:056"Don't Stop the Music"Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Stroleer Eriksen, Frankie Storm & Michael Jackson4:49Cover of Rihanna song7"Love Ain't Gonna Let You Down"Cullum3:578"Mixtape"Cullum, Ben Cullum4:589"I Think, I Love"Cullum4:1610"We Run Things"Cullum3:3111"Not While I'm Around"Stephen Sondheim3:32From the musical Sweeney Todd12"Music Is Through"Cullum, Ben Cullum7:0713"I Love This"Cullum, Ben Cullum4:45US/Canada edition bonus track14"Gran Torino"Music: Clint Eastwood, Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael StevensLyrics: Cullum4:32US/Canada and UK edition bonus track15"The Move on Song"Cullum3:47US/Canada edition bonus track16"Grace is Gone"Cullum3:06UK edition bonus track
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for The Pursuit Chart (2009–2010) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 60
Year-end charts +2009 year-end chart performance for The Pursuit Chart (2009) Position UK Albums (OCC) 194 +2010 year-end chart performance for The Pursuit Chart (2010) Position US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard) 10
Certifications and sales
Release history +Release history and formats for The Pursuit Country Date Format Label United Kingdom 10 November 2009 CD, Digital download Decca United States 2 March 2010 Verve Forecast Canada Universal Music
References