Disco de Jessie J: “Who You Are”

Jessie J is brillant! She's very talented and keeps her listeners entertained. I loved each and every song. Usually artists aren't so versatile but Jessie J proved that wrong! She switches from Hip Hop, to R&B, to Pop and you won't feel that she's putting too much effort into it. Her adlibs and vocals are amazing for each song, she adds a different style to each song she sings! My favorite songs from here album are: L.O.V.E(vocals are INCREDIBLE it'll give you chills), I Need This(This song will make you speechless..just listen and you'll understand what I'm saying), Mama Knows Best(A jazzy feel song that you can relate to), and Do It Like a Dude(a different style of song that'll make you want to just get up and dance). This is definately an ablbum anyone should get if they want to hear a different fresh mix of music. Who You Are gets 5 stars from ME!!

Jessie J has been around for several years it seems, penning hits for other artists (most notably Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the U.S.A.). It seems just now that she is really beginning to catch fire both in the US and in her native UK. 'Price Tag', the first commercially successful single by Jessie, has already gone to the top spot on the UK charts and is steadily climbing the charts in the US. Now, she has released her debut album, and while she shows amazing signs of promise, there isn't a concise idea here that shows anything about Jessie J as an artist, other then she has some stellar pipes.

Price Tag: The most well-known track on the album, this definitely gets a boost from some great Dr. Luke production. Overall, it has a nice island vibe with B.o.B. dropping a solid rap. A very pleasant song. B

Nobody's Perfect: This track rises most due to Jessie's invested singing, paired with a solid hook and some fairly well-written lyrics. Definite single potential. B+

Abracadabra: Dr. Luke gives some more solid production, but this has some weak writing that makes it a little weaker than its predecessor. Another good track, but not exceptional by any means. B

Big White Room: This track may have sounded better as a bonus to end the album; right here it stops the album dead. A vocally profound performance with some very nice lyrics, but this one suffers a bit from unnecessary length. B-

Casualty of Love: Another song held up by Jessie's vocals. The writing is okay here, and the production is inoffensive, but not mind-blowing. B

Rainbow: This one offers a bit of a rap break, and has the most catchy chorus of any song on the album. A shiny gem with an uplifting message. B+

Who's Laughing Now: There's a bit of grating spoken beats in the middle, but overall this is another solid song. Instantly catchy, but maybe not in a good way. B

Do It Like a Dude: One of the best songs on the album, this is a track stuffed full of attitude. Jessie does an awesome job selling it, and it's a shame this one didn't take off more. B+

Momma Knows Best: The weakest track on the album. The production could have been better if it didn't seem so left-field that it distracted from the premise. It doesn't help that it is also lyrically weak. C

L.O.V.E.: This doesn't help to pick the album back up, with lyrics that just drag the album further down. Not a bad song, but it suffers from placement on the track listing. C+

Stand Up: Another uplifting track, this builds a bit of steam for the album. An unoriginal concept with production that turns out just okay, this one fades in a bit. B

I Need This: One of the most vocally strong and emotionally invested songs, this track should have switched places with 'Big White Room'. A very strong performance by Jessie on this one, with some nice lyrics to match. B+

Who You Are: A great track to end the album on. This one leaves the listener thinking the album is better then it actually was, which is always a nice effect. Jessie's vocals are strong, the lyrics are uplifting (a running trend here, it seems), and the production doesn't overpower her. B+

There's no doubt that Jessie J will be successful. 'Price Tag' is likely to place in the top 10 on Billboard, and there are enough adequate songs her to keep her momentum going until her sophomore release. Adequate, though, is really the issue with this album. Only a few songs manage to surpass this status, and it's always by a small margin. The selling point is really Jessie J's vocals; there isn't anything here that a female vocalist, UK or US bred, hasn't done either equally or better.

Recommended Tracks: Price Tag, Nobody's Perfect, Do It Like a Dude, I Need This, Who You Are

Unfortunately for the artist, many times both critics and music fans/enthusiasts often `sleep' on albums, even if they purchased them when they first materialized. That is the case with Jessie J's

, the debut effort from the British starlet who has come to be known for her moderate hit "Price Tag," featuring American rap standout B.o.B. The album is an alluring pop album by all means, showcasing Jessica Cornish's (Jessie J) Christina Aguilera-rivaling pipes. The album debut just outside of the top ten in the U.S. which is a shame considering it is a solid affair for the most part.

Dr. Luke produces the enthusiastic first single, "Price Tag," which features a guest spot from the ubiquitous B.o.B. The production work still channels Dr. Luke, but has a slightly more soulful-pop edge than normal for the producer. The chorus is the selling point: "It's not about they money money money, we don't need your money money money, we just wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag..." "Nobody's Perfect" follows up the excellent cut with another solid cut, also notable for its refrain. Jessie J sounds great, though she may over-sing the slightest bit. "Abracadabra" is enjoyable as well, finding Dr. Luke behind the boards once more. Aided by songwriting by Dr. Luke & Claude Kelly, Jessie J pulls off another enjoyable cut that showcases her prodigious vocal abilities.

"Big White Room," a live, acoustic cut, proves to be among the `cream of the crop,' but is somewhat hampered due to it's odd placement. The cut appears fourth on this effort where it probably would have been best served at or towards the end. Regardless, Jessie's own personal composition is killer, showcasing her in a `singer/songwriter' vein and differentiating from both previous and later cuts. "Casualty of Love" possesses and exceptional soulful-urban vibe about it, contrasting the singer/songwriter edge of "Big White Room." "Rainbow," another solid cut (though not revolutionary), once again contrasts the track preceding it, and showcases Jessie J's gift o'er and o'er again. "Whose Laughing Now" is enjoyable, finding the chanteuse singing/pop-rapping.

"Do It Like A Dude" is an instant standout, produced by The Invisible Men with Parker & James in a "Tricky" Stewart/The-Dream-style production. While the cut is a bit overt - OK very overt - it is one of the best of the effort. "Mama Knows Best" tames the beast of Jessie down, well as far as the profanity and overt sexual references, placing her against a production palette that recalls big-band meets funk-soul. "L.O.V.E." contrasts once more, in favor of a reggae-tinged pop love song that finds its muse singing: "you're my key, you unlock me/keep me close, keep me safe, keep me happy/So sweet, oh love/it's destiny, so nothing stops me/I'll tell the world that you're mine and you got me so..." "L.O.V.E" definitely exhibits solid songwriting (Jessie J & Toby Gad).

"Stand Up" is a `B+' cut at best, but it works. "I Need This," the penultimate cut is a `B,' beginning to mark the `falloff' of the effort at the end. "Who You Are" showcases the great nuances of Jessie's voice, cracks intact. Unfortunately, like so many title tracks, it doesn't live up to the hype.

Overall,

is a solid pop album. If you like pop at its best, I recommend this British starlet's LP by all means. Vocally, she is a `gem.' Creatively, she has a lot to offer the pop market.

Jessie J got a strong promotional push in the US from her label - she seemed to be absolutely everywhere in 2011 but I really didn't pay her too much attention until I saw her perform on Saturday Night Live. I was very impressed by her vocal skills and felt that her album would probably be as good as the songs she performed...well, i was kinda right.

As debut albums go, it does what it's supposed to do - showcase her voice by having her sing around a variety of musical genres but I'm not quite sure of who she actually intends to be as an artist. There is no signature "Jessie J" sound, just her singing very well on tracks that ran the gamut from r&b/pop, pop power ballads & a little bit of hip hop which lends variety to the album - each song is distinct in its production so as a listener I was not bored. I will also say that the songs I like, I REALLY like & the songs I hate, I REALLY REALLY hate so with that being said my faves are:

PRICE TAG - love this melodically low key track and the message behind the song;

NOBODY'S PERFECT - another melodic winner;

ABRACADABRA - love this 80's r&b-ish track;

BIG WHITE ROOM - although some of her runs are a bit indulgent, she really shows off her vocal range on this stripped down live track;

CASUALTY OF LOVE - nice melodic beat that's not quite a ballad;

RAINBOW - catchy track on which she raps a little

Note that these are the first 6 tracks of the albums so I was really hyped about it but it went downhill from there for me and of the remaining tracks, I only really like: I NEED THIS.

I really hate: DO IT LIKE A DUDE - the profanity, production & lyrics are just...NO;

MAMA KNOWS BEST - sounds like a Christina Aguilera reject and doesn't flow with the rest of the album at all; STAND UP & WHO'S LAUGHING NOW - two anthemic tracks, the 1st seems aimed at uplifting teens while the second seems aimed at those who teased her back in the day (WHO'S has catchier beats but although only 3:54, it felt interminable & I couldn't wait for it to end); L.O.V.E. - filler-ish, repetitive & unremarkable in any way and finally WHO YOU ARE - an overwrought anthemic ballad.

The album overall is very uneven but it introduced me to a very talented young singer/songwriter who I believe will go all out on her sophomore album to create a more cohesive total album by trimming the filler and letting us know who she truly is and intends to be as an artist. On the totally superficial side - I LOVE her album cover, she looks amazing! Her hair & the makeup are stunningly eye catching.

I gifted the CD to my mother and not only was the CD amazing in sound, but it was not scratched up and in great condition. There was nothing but praise from her, and the gift made her very excited and happy! :]