At first Lidell seems bewildered by the crowd's attention, trotting humbly onstage in a fetching white suit. But when he starts to sing the album opener "Another Day", any trace of bashfulness dissipates. In a night of wondrous variety, he channels black vocalists from Ray Charles to Prince via Marvin Gaye. He dances like a kid who's drunk too much orange squash. It's thoroughly infectious. ****

the purple hue of Lidell's aura has changed to Southern battered gold

Jim is a (new) old friend you'll never give the silent treatment.

[Lidell] made a record worthy of his buzz.

The record sounds simply wonderful... Lidell's voice has never sounded better than it does here.

I've covered every song on Jim in the course of this review, and given that there's not a bad one in the bunch, it's hard not to want to highlight each one. And with each song comes that sweet, carefree feeling of summertime.

The Berlin-based singer is such a consummate professional, this material is an absolute pleasure to hear from start to finish. Oh, maybe it is not his professionalism that gives that impression - it is his infectious joy. "Give Yourself the Green Light", Lidell sings, and his optimism is unquenchable.

There's no evidence to indicate that Lidell is anything other than a white boy, despite the Redding/Green oomph his voice displays throughout this album. Jim's eyes are blue, and his soul is blue-eyed. A pasty Limey hasn't channeled black America this successfully since, um, Amy Winehouse.

Jim's minimal modern flourishes, driving choruses, and rollicking piano cement the fact that Lidell is the real deal.

It's more blue-eyed soul, but with the songs, voice and production to carry it off. Jim is a great soul record. ****

The best album Prince never made? An unearthed Stevie Wonder classic? A Beck album with poppier songs? Or simply the freshest sound we've heard all year?

A Terrific album on its own merits and arguably Lidell's best yet. *****

LBOFG is as slinky, suave and downright superb as homegrown UK dance gets... a true gem. ****

Borrowing sonically from classic soul has recently become de rigeur. Lidell's 2005 album 'Multiply' was there first... 'Jim' takes things up a notch, and finally delivers songs that match Lidell's wide-eyed ambition. ****

Soulful brass licks and authentically punchy funk, the like of which Jamiroquai can only dream about. ****

A stand-out piece of future soul. ****

...his position as a true soul man is truly secured

...Jamie Lidell is here to save you with JIM. And this album is good. I mean really good. *****

Opener 'Another Day' bursts out of the speakers with bird songs and all the hope and joy of a summer dawn. It's the kind of track that will have neighbours knocking down your door to join the party every time you play it.

Jamie Lidell aims to cover all bases from 1960s soul onwards... With such a strong and versatile set of pipes, the role of devoted follower suits him as much as mad scientist.

If '60s music soul had been put in a time capsule, spun half-way round the universe and beemed back direct from the year 3000, it still wouldn't sound as alien and future-fresh as this.

...his impressionistic, shape-shifting and authentic album is the sound of 21st century soul coming of age

Lidell shows that being influenced by great music of the past doesn't mean that you need to be limited by it. The key is learning how to multiply it.

...delivers soulful funk choons that are not only bathroom hummable, but which perfectly showcase what an amazing vocalist he really is.

Imagine Prince producing Otis Redding at an early '90s warehouse rave.

These cuts of cyborg funk fidget with digital tics and gasps... theres no stopping him.

... these tracks have subliminal twists of brain-tickling synthesizers and dubby sonic tricks.

Multiply sounds like he picked up some ancient reel-to-reel tape from lost Holland-Dozier-Holland sessions and gave them a 2005 production spit-and-polish.

Multiply represents Lidell's dramatic transformation from a knob-twiddling laptopper to a red-blooded soul singer.

Multiply proves that this pasty-faced Brit is the most soulful motherfucker alive.

Multiply is that rare album that can be all things to all who care to listen.