★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5
English singer-songwriter Jessie J has experienced the highs and lows of a music career since her official 2010 debut, especially in the United States.
Following the release of debut album Who You Are, which included chart hits “Price Tag” and “Domino”, her 2013 follow up Alive was not even officially released stateside until two years later. The project ultimately became both a commercial and critical disappointment due to a severe lack of promotion.
However, the female vocal powerhouse quickly returned with a much louder roar. Her “Bang Bang” collaboration in 2014 with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj remains her highest charting single to date and propelled third studio album Sweet Talker to a top ten debut upon release.
Since then, the artist has served as a judge on The Voice Australia, contributed “Flashlight” to the Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack, scored a supporting voice role in Ice Age: Collision Course and was most recently crowned champion on the sixth season of Chinese singing competition Singer 2018, becoming the first European winner.
The array of projects over the past two years cultivates in the release of Jessie J’s fourth studio album R.O.S.E., a soul/R&B effort split into four separate extended plays. Realisations, Obsessions, Sex, and Empowerment touch on a variety of personal issues, from self-love and motherhood to navigating through tough situations with an unsupportive record label. All this while effectively highlighting one of this generation’s strongest vocal talents and the willingness to share in both the joy and pain.
Following crushing introduction “Oh Lord” on Realisations, acknowledging the numerous obstacles in her way, the project truly kicks off with “Think About That”, a percussion-heavy tale of a failing love, and possibly the unsteady relationship with her own record label. The realization forced the artist to almost quit the music business entirely. With delicate piano keys also serving as support, Jessie J effortlessly glides through the narrative piece with courage and a bit of vocal grit.
“Dopamine” serves as a direct response to the current state of society, world politics, and the audience’s supposed lack of action. “Children being shot, so we hashtag something, the media is fucked, feed us lies so we're full on nothing,” she sings defeated on the second verse, noting how most are now unfortunately immune to tragedy.
Described as one of her “favorite songs on the record”, the emotional and reflective “Easy On Me” finds Jessie J pleading for the opportunity to grow at her own pace. With another golden vocal performance at the forefront, at times sounding as if she is close to tears, revelations of the stress of working long hours and possibly not living up to high expectation weighs down on the artist’s shoulders. The song tragically wraps up with her own grandfather’s passing advice to never be too hard on herself.
The Obsessions portion opens up with hip hop-leaning “Real Deal”, a summer-tinged effort that steers the artist from her overly pop recent projects and aligns her with back her R&B roots. Jessie J shares details of a blossoming relationship, highlights the contagious energy and chemistry, and acknowledging that the long search for “the one” may finally be over.
She targets obsessed naysayers and fake friends on the aggressive “Petty”. Supporting production is subdued, giving the artist’s pointed lyrics of former acquaintances hungry for fame a chance to cause maximum damage. “Stay out my sun with your shady ass, leaving these comments on my photographs, when you go off, I try not to laugh,” she sings with a smirk on the hook, becoming a warning for frauds to stay away.
On the bittersweet “Not My Ex”, the artist reveals an obsession with a potential new suitor. However, as she cautiously approaches with optimism and begins to accept the blossoming love, she hesitates as the story of her previous heartbreak unfolds. The honest revelation details past infidelity, constant lies and a lack of appreciation. All the while, she ensures her future flame that things will not be the same the second time around.
An obsession to experience motherhood becomes the touching backdrop for “Four Letter Word”, an ode to the artist’s future newborn. With a soft and slow progression, Jessie J sings for the need to have someone to hold, to always love, though shares reasons as to why that has not happened yet. While not as complex, hard-hitting or poignant as its predecessors, the delicate track highlights a vulnerable side to an artist not always seen or heard.
“One Night Lover” is a revealing, four-minute effort ripped straight from the pages of Jessie J’s diary. Directed toward a former lover taking advantage of the artist’s compassion, a destructive and borderline abusive bond is thrust into the spotlight. “I'm worth more than this, blow us out, make a wish, lord, let me survive without his loving,” the artist sings on the bridge. Though naïve and vulnerable in the beginning, Jessie J comes out of the ordeal much stronger in the end.
Jessie J takes a walk on the wild side with a potential suitor on “Dangerous”, an ode to lust and letting inhibitions overpower reasonable thinking. Spiked with 80s-leaning production, the salacious material is handled with confidence and maturity, letting it be known that the artist is maneuvering through the new relationship at her own pace. While the man may not be right for her in the end, she sings of enjoying herself, and her man’s bedroom talents, for the moment.
In incorporating a sample of “Got to be Real” by Cheryl Lynn, Jessie J delivers an upbeat ode to a bedroom encounter on “Play”. Though misleading her suitor in the beginning of just wanting to be friends, the artist’s true carnal intentions are revealed as the track progresses. The effort may not fit in effortlessly with the rest of the album’s contents, however, those who gravitate toward the artist’s pop-leaning releases will enjoy the extra splash of infectious horns.
Empowerment get a shot of jazz influence as “Glory” incorporates more infectious horn instrumentals to carry the empowerment message home. The overall vibe oozes confidence as the artist sings of not going down without a fight in the midst of a break up. However, instead of needing to pick up the broken pieces in the aftermath as before, Jessie J walks away from the failed relationship with an immediate better outlook.
Following a brief instrumental interlude, Jessie J delivers a show-stopping performance on “Someone’s Lady”, a simplistic, piano-led admission to wanting anyone to love. Despite the evident problems in the relationship, the artist looks past the dysfunction in exchange for the need to feel wanted and desired. “I can't see the bad times, it's like I'm blinded by the good, some say that it's beautiful, but I'm naive, and he's understood,” she tragically and blindly belts on the second verse.
The project closes out with “I Believe in Love”, another stellar stage for Jessie J’s vocals to thrive. Unlike other cuts, the artist maintains a positive perspective throughout when it comes to the tricky emotion of love. While not necessarily just in the context of a romantic relationship, instead expanding to a world view, the song finds the artist at peace. Ultimately, it becomes a necessary therapeutic cleansing in order to look out toward a better horizon.
R.O.S.E. comes following a three-year hiatus for Jessie J. For all the unfair criticism she has received over the years, the four-piece project serves as an in-depth look into aspects of life that cause the artist grief, frustration and sadness. While it is the pain and heartache shared upfront, she uses the negative situations as lessons in finding the strength and confidence needed for one to continue pushing forward. The personal, thought-provoking material serves as an opportunity for the artist to shake off the negativity, regain composure and focus, and tackle the future with a clean slate. Instead of radio-friendly pop fluff, Jessie J rediscovers herself as a soulful artist, a move that should quiet critics and bring her back into the mainstream spotlight where she belongs.
Tracks to Hear: "Easy On Me", "Not My Ex", "Queen", "One Night Lover" and "Someone's Lady"
Tracks to Hear: "Easy On Me", "Not My Ex", "Queen", "One Night Lover" and "Someone's Lady"
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