Disco de Jesse McCartney: “Departure [Digipak]”

When I first heard "Leavin" about two months ago, I was like "wow", Jesse McCartney is going for a hip hop sound which I didn't mind because I love hip hop. I really like a lot of the songs on his album. He's really grown as a singer and an artist. His lyrics mean a lot more but I also think that some of the tracks were just thrown together without a lot of planning. I despise the song "Rock You". It really degrades him as a vocalist. It's very annoying. I'm not a big fan of "Makeup" either. But that's just me. I like his slower songs. It's a good CD and I think it's worth the buy but it would be a lot better without the two songs above.

I always check for new music Mondays to see who is releasing what, but I didn't see anybody I knew so I got ready to close the website when the beat to "Leavin" dropped. I immediately started playing the full album, and I'm digging this guy's voice, melody, and the beats. From reading the other reviews, apparently this is very new for him. I don't know what audience he's trying to reach, but I can easily see songs from this album getting some radio play on R&B and Pop stations. He may not want to be compared to other artists, but Jesse's voice reminds me slightly of Justin Timberlake's due to subject matter and chorus lines. However, it's more happy than Timberlake, and I get more pop than R&B (think Donnie from "Making the Band 4"). I just bought this album in case I don't hear it on my favorite radio stations. "Not Your Enemy" is a song I can learn from unfortunately, but "Leavin" is probably my favorite track although all of them are really good.

Note: To the reviewers who are saying this album is Rap or Hip Hop, minus "Rock You," which absolutely reminds me of Justin Timberlake, nothing on this album has rapping on it. It's definitely R&B and pop though.

I did not expect to like this cd but was really surprised with Jesse's voice and the maturity of the songs. "Makeup" and "Freaky" are pretty much teen fillers which I always skip. On the other hand, "My Baby" "Leaving" and "Relapse" will have you dancing in your car, while his vocals shine in the emotional "It's Over" and "Not your Enemy". Would I buy the new 'Reloaded' edition? Probably not... but that doesn't mean I haven't given the cd some heavy rotation.

In 2004 17 year old Jesse McCartney's debut album Beautiful Soul went platinum. Then he dropped off the radar. Yes, he put out a 2nd album but no one bought it and his record label put him on the back burner. 2008 rolls around and his single Leavin' takes over the charts reintroducing a now very grown-up 21 year old McCartney. In 2004, critics asked if Jesse would become the new Justin Timberlake. Well, the answer is no. He actually sings R&B based music better than JT because his voice is much smoother. He's not the new JT, he's the new Jesse and Departure is his best, most innnovative, most creative album to date. His songs just aren't words that tell a story, the lyrics are very, very well written. Jesse's "departure" from boy band influenced pop was a good one.

I am a huge fan of Jesse McCartney, and I loved his other two CDs. I guess I just wasn't expecting such a "departure" from the sound of his first two. I just don't love it like I do the others. I found it to be a huge disappointment in sound and the quality of the songs. I don't think this CD fits his image, but I guess that is what he was going for. I am just not sure his pop fans will appreciate this CD. It might take a lot of getting used to.