Genre: R'n'B/Pop
Release Year: 2011
Label: Lava/Universal Records/Island
As a general rule, I don't like contempary music. I didn't really like Jessie J until very recently. But my opinion was changed by two performances, one on Radio 1's Live Lounge and one on Jools Holland's Hootenany. Live Lounge showed off her very impressive vocal range and skill, and Hootenany showed off her stage presence and her ability as a performer. Since then, I've been a huge fan.
So, in a huge leap out of my jazz-and-rock-obsessed character, I bought her album, and got a very funny look from the bloke at the cashier.
The album itself has been six years in the making. Like most albums of the genre, it includes a few very good songs, with alot of padding in between. It also varies loads in style. Songs like Abracadabra and Casualty of Love have a definite 80s feel, while others like Do It Like A Dude and Rainbow feel very modern.
The album opens with the renowned number 1 single Price Tag. And it's not hard to see why it's been so successful. It's laid back with a very catchy chorus. I love the funky guitar in the background, and the overall simplicity of the track makes it very easy listening. However, I do think it's really let down by the pointless rap in the middle by B.o.B. It fits as well as a clown at a funeral.
Another highlight of the album is Big White Room. J said that she wrote the song when she was 10 years old after a little boy in the same hospital ward as her died in an operation. It is the only acoustic track on the album (with the only accompaniment being from an acoustic guitar), and because of this is the only track that allows J to really show off her full vocal potential.
The best track though for me is Mamma Knows Best. Imagine getting a bit Benny Goodman, a bit of Plan B, and then sticking it all in a blender with the zest of Duffy. I can't think of a better way of describing it. It's jazzy, enticing and, above all, very VERY fun. Even if you don't buy the album, make sure you download this track.
So those are three of the best tracks on the album, but what about the rest? There's a few other decent tracks, but songs such as Rainbow feel very unimaginative, as if they were written to fill the gaps. Unfortunately, this time-filler disease is all too common on modern albums.
One of the main things that stands out about this album is that here we have a mainstream musician who has written an album where not every track is a soppy love ballad. Yes some tracks are based around the theme, but these then stand out because, on this CD, they aren't the norm. And when J does write a song on the topic, she does so in a new and inventive way. For example, I haven't heard a song as brutally honest as L.O.V.E, and it works because of it.
Overall, this is a good debut from Jessie J. It's very interesting, and some of the songs are brilliantly crafted. However, there is a fair bit of padding and samey murk that we have heard before. Despite this though, J certainly shows alot of potential, and I would definately buy another album.
7/10
You can buy Jessie J's "Who You Are" from amazon.co.uk.
What do you think of the album? Let us know in the comments.
Tom :)
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