Make no mistake. Though he’s a near-unknown here, Jamie Lidell has emerged as a bona fide pop star in the UK. His 2005 blue-eyed soul song “Multiply” was a Brit hit that made critical and commercial waves overseas, even if the CD of the same name barely moved 20,000 copies in America.
And to look at the itinerary for his current stateside club trek, which brings him to the Paradise tomorrow night, you wouldn’t guess that Elton John cherry-picked Lidell to open his Red Piano UK arena tour next fall.
But Lidell isn’t bothered by his newcomer status on this side of the Atlantic. The 34-year-old native of Cambridgeshire seems to enjoy switching things up. He began his career in 2000 with the jarring electronica of “Muddlin Gear,” then pulled an about-face in 2005 with the old school r & b of “Multiply.” Now he’s put his electronic know-how to use creating the infectious retro-modern feel of his latest album, “Jim,” which nods to both Motown and Prince. Lidell likes to confound.
“We never thought we’d see Nicolas Cage in an action movie, either,” he quipped good-naturedly by phone from Paris. “There was a time that seemed quite a stretch. Hard to imagine him holding an M-16, but it happened. It’s similar to what I always loved about Prince as well, this ability to appear 100 percent at home in unexpected surroundings. He’s always been this demanding little guy who’s unafraid to combine electronics with organic soul. I grew up fascinated with him.”
With “Jim,” Lidell admits he’s looking to make an impression on both sides of the pond.
“It was time for me to make a record like this,” he said, “something song-based, likable, accessible. (‘Multiply’) was like that as well, but this takes it a step further and it’s much, much better. And for me, no matter what anyone else might say, that qualifies as being out on a limb.”
He’s going out on another kind of limb on his current tour: Instead of his usual one-man loop-and-pedal format, Lidell’s performing with a full band for the first time.
“It’s taken me a while to come to terms with it,” he said. “Which is strange, because I’ve functioned in bands before much earlier on. But whereas on previous tours I’d build the music around my voice, now the other musicians are doing it, which leaves me to concentrate on singing the damn song.
“But it’s been steadily getting better,” he added, “and I’ve begun taking more risks. I still break it down in the middle of the set for a half-hour of solo futuristic mayhem.”
Jamie Lidell, with Jennifer O’Conner, at the Paradise, tomorrow at 9 p.m. Tickets: $15; 617-562-8800.
