David Sneddon and Sinead Quinn, who came first and second in the inaugural series of Fame Academy, were pounced on by record labels as soon as the show ended. Third-placed Lemar Obika spent months waiting for a deal. If he doesn't feel a touch of glee at the way things panned out (Sneddon and Wuin have disappeared, he's a Mobo and Brit-winning artist) he wouldn't be human.

But there were times during the first of four nights at the Jazz Cafe when a bit less humanity and a lot more charisma were called for. As fine a vocalist as Lemar is, he manifestly lacks the wow factor that would make him a global contender. That would be fine if he were happy to remain the top dog of British soul and leave the rest of the world to its own devices. But he has aspirations beyond a sold-out residency at this venue - that much was evident from the set's sole cover version. It was Luther Vandross's So Amazing, a song demanding finely-tuned suggestiveness, which Lemar apparently felt he could conjure up as effortlessly as the late soul legend. His pedestrian rendition said otherwise.

Lemar has just released his third album, The Truth About Love, making him about 300% more successful than almost any other reality-show graduate. He's now nearing the top of his game, which let him indulge in little quirks, such as delivering his biggest hit, If There's Any Justice, at the beginning of the show, rather than the end. And there was much to enjoy: the remarkable sustained high note that closed All I Ever Do (My Boo); his simple dark suit and artfully undone tie; his transformation into Bing Crosby on the ambling jazz number Tick Tock.

Lemar has plenty of the stuff that makes a singer successful - it's the stuff that would make him extraordinary that he lacks.