English R&B/pop artist Jessie J began her career in the music industry by writing songs for artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus, including Cyrus’ biggest hit to date, “Party in the U.S.A”. The exposure allowed her to begin recording her debut album, Who You Are, which was released in the US on April 12th, 2011. Preceded by two tracks, “Do It Like a Dude” and US top forty hit, “Price Tag feat. B.o.B”, the album plays around with the genres of R&B, rap and pop in order to create a very unique project that contains one great voice that needs to be shared with the world.
The album begins with the B.o.B assisted, lead US single, “Price Tag”, which peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. With the first listen, the vocals that are heard are some not expected from the artist. The voice is unique; it certainly grabs the attention of the listener very quickly. The song itself is not one that should not be considered amazing or groundbreaking, but it is something the US audiences would nod their heads to. Soothing violins open up “Nobody’s Perfect”, a track that deals with the desire to chase perfection even when it does not exist. Released as the album’s third UK single, the song has a mid-tempo progression while Jessie delivers a very impressive vocal performance while singing lyrics that carry a strong, uplifting message. The song quickly shows the singer’s range and tells the listener the album will have its fun and serious moments. “Abracadabra” contains a sound that is reminiscent to the old days of jazz and disco, but Jessie’s style and voice bring it into 2011. The featured guest may give the song a slow, average start, but the track turns into a fun, cute and upbeat song of love. Some of the lyrics may be a little amateur, but that does not really matter when you have Jessie singing them with the talent she has. I have never really heard live tracks on a standard edition of an album, but I think it was the best way to get “Big White Room” across to listeners and fans. The artists belts out amazing notes with pure perfection, and shows off the confidence that she really has in herself. The audience’s applause and cheering is annoying, but I cannot hear anything but the beautiful performance that proves this girl is here to stay. The album continues with the jazz ballad, “Casualty of Love”, the track contains a more somber feel and tone than the songs that preceded it, but even though the vocals are great, the song just does not interest me very much. The track is nothing horrible; however it did not live up to its potential and falls a little flat. I do enjoy the sound’s direction; it is something new and different. Some of Jessie’s rap skills are present on “Rainbow”, another track that does not really show the best qualities of the artist. Again, I commend the range of musical influences that have been present on the album so far, but the song does not help much. I understand the message behind the track and respect it, there just is not much to the song that will distinct it from anything else unfortunately. Problems with bullies are addressed in “Who’s Laughing Now”, an up-tempo pop track that describes the artist’s rise to fame and those that use to doubt her success. To me, the track is one of the best moments on the project. Jessie does not need to showboat to let her vocals be the main attraction on the song. It contains moments of humor and attitude, everything rolled into an enjoyable, sassy creation. Jessie J’s first official single, “Do It Like a Dude” sounds as if it came off a Rihanna album, and funny thing is that the track was actually written with Rihanna in mind. The song carries a Caribbean vibe with near explicit and vulgar lyrics. With one listen, I knew Jessie was an artist that had true potential and talent. The song is a carefree, hip-hop piece that was a great way to start off a successful career. The artist’s rock star side comes out on “Mamma Knows Best”. The jazz sound gets amped up more than on any other track and that is nothing but a positive thing to mention. The track follows in the footsteps of previous English acts Duffy and Adele, but Jessie can keep up with those women, maybe even surpass them. The song is an amazing moment, in the sense of vocals as well as production. “L.O.V.E” is another experimental track that I feel did not accomplish what it was really crafted for. It is harsh to call a track just filler but I feel that is this song’s real purpose. Maybe it is the fact that I have come to expect so much from the artist, but the song does not do anything special for me. Positive aspect of the track would be that the notes Jessie hits are more than impressive. Things keep moving along with the acoustic guitar sounding “Stand Up”, another track that carries J’s message of empowerment and inner strength. The song does not rely on heavy synthesizers or auto-tune like some of her pop contemporaries, instead raw talent is able to shine very bright. The track is something simple, has a mellow tone and is a great addition to a project that is showing every side of a rising artist. On “I Need This”, a decent cut off the album, the artist goes through the motions as if they come easy to everyone. However, that ease causes the song to lose all the emotion that really supported it. The chorus is nice; it sees the pace get picked up a bit, because without it I feel that the track would have been completely useless. Jessie saves it from disaster with great vocals, but the song never really takes off. The album finishes up with the title track, “Who You Are”. The song, like others on the effort, is an example of why the artist received a recording contract. Jessie tells her fans that everything in life will be alright as long as you stay true to the person you are supposed to be. Along with songs from Pink and Lady Gaga, the song deals with acceptance and contains some beautiful vocals and lyrics about strength.
Who You Are is a rare debut by an artist that is slowing gaining traction with her career around the world. Jessie J has the skills and abilities to rival the greats in the pop genres, but throws in a few surprises from hip hop influences to give listeners and critics a unique experience with powerful vocals to back up certain decisions. The album combines fun, catchy tracks with ballads that actually have meaning to create a very successful finished product. The project has a few disappointments, but the high points make up for them all. For impressive, award worthy performances, and a different sound, the album receives a high 86%.
Tracks to Hear: “Abracadabra”, “Big White Room (Live)”, “Who’s Laughing Now” and “Who You Are”
Be sure to pick up the album on Amazon now or download from iTunes!
Jessie J - Who's Laughing Now [Alb Who You Are][Universal Republic]_2
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