Already a sensation in his native England, 22-year-old piano man comes off like a hip amalgamation of and on his sophomore effort, . As with 's crossover wunderkind , works best when he's not trying too hard to please hardcore aficionados, but it's not too difficult to imagine his bonus-track version of ' turning some fans onto . Showcasing 's sardonic wit and -savvy attitude, the album deftly flows from love songs to jazzy barroom romps and reappropriated modern tunes. has a warm voice with a slight rasp that retains a bit of his Brit accent even though his influences -- -- are resolutely American. Truthfully, isn't the most accomplished vocalist and his piano chops are pleasant at best -- he ain't. That said, he's still a kick. What he lacks in technique he makes up for in swagger and smarts as many of his original compositions reveal. On the swinging and wickedly humorous title track -- a take on postgraduate slackerdom -- sardonically laments, "After years of expensive education, a car full of books and anticipation, I'm an expert on and that's a hell of a lot but the world don't need scholars as much as I thought." It's a timely statement in our overeducated, underemployed "dot-bomb" economy and deftly posits as a singer as much of as for his generation. Also compelling are his choices of cover tunes, as he is able to imprint his own persona on the songs while magnifying what made them brilliant to begin with. To these ends, 's gets a gut-wrenchingly minimalist treatment and comes off as the best song you've never heard. Conversely, treats as modern tunes, reworking them into contemporary styles that are neither cynical nor awkward. In fact, his atmospheric, '70s take on replete with string backgrounds and 's percolating Rhodes keyboard, is one of the most appealing cuts on the album, lending the Great American Songbook warhorse an air of virginity. ~ Matt Collar