Charlie Green shot to fame at the age of 10 on Britain's Got Talent 2008 with his swinging rendition of Frank Sinatra's Summer Wind. Two years on, he continues to reinvent classics with his latest CD, A Friend Like You.
The title track is a fun, showy jazz duet with Rachelle Ann Go. Green's voice soars effortlessly over the ringing brass. This flawless talent continues with On the Sunny Side of the Street, a light-hearted song that urges a listener to 'leave your worries on the doorstep'.
Comparisons to Michael Buble and Sinatra abound, but there is a purity and lightness to Green's vocals. His cover of Let It Be is refreshingly different, keeping the Beatles' classic piano backing and adding his own zeal.
There is scope for greater maturity on some tracks. Green sings sweetly through Donny Osmond's Go Away Little Girl, but his youthful interpretation is odd given the lyrics: 'I'm dating somebody else'.
But Green answers the challenge in Too Young, when he croons: 'We're not too young to know this love'. The youthful charm works best, though, on Oh My Papa - a poignant celebration of a father.
Don't just dismiss Green as another Bieber; this artist proves himself a prince of jazz.
