Jessica Cornish morphed herself into pop powerhouse Jessie J over 3 years ago. Since then, she's released a multi-million selling debut album
Who You Are and boasts 11+ million single sales across the world; she's 25. Once you get over the fact that she's much more talented and far richer than you are (goddammit) you realise what a contemporary chart force she's turned into. Love her or hate her, you're undoubtedly going to tap your foot to 'Price Tag' and even commandeer the dance floor when the behemoth 'Domino' riffs into ear shot. In a 'chart active' career now spanning 3+ years, she's achieved a lot more than many in the industry, much of which can be attributed to talent, some solid marketing and hard work.
A born song writer, Jessie J proved her artistry with her debut album. However, it wasn't perfect, somewhat of a melting pot of genres with a few moments of stagnant immaturity ('Who's Laughing Now?). That said, it sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone, cementing her as one of the country's most respected and prolific pop exports. What Jessie J really needed to do was move forward from teen-like insecurities and mature as an artist.
Alive is her second album and it's certainly a much more 'grown-up' collection of songs. Her evolution as a song writer and vocalist is apparent on tracks like 'Thunder', an incredibly infectious mid-tempo power ballad, with oodles of 80s charm and vocal prowess. Her vocals continue to shine on the exhilarating 'Breathe' and she becomes more emotive than ever on downtempo piano ballad 'I Miss Her'. The rocky synths and vocal control on 'Square One' make it an album standout, with a Future style vocoder segment slotted in to break things up.
We need to remember Jessie J is a pop artist. Her music's suppose to be 'popular', easy to listen to, catchy and most of all fun. That doesn't stop her cracking out some bloody incredible tracks here and there, case in point 'Daydreamin', a song Mariah Carey would have been proud to call her own when she ruled the US pop scene.
There's no shortage of collaboration on Alive. Her duet with Becky G 'Excuse My Rude' is the only skippable number here (I've played it twice on 6 listens) and serves as this album's WLN. Thankfully the remaining collabs are brilliant. We've been exposed to the thumping beast 'Wild' featuring Jay Sean and Dizzee Rascal, with it's insanely catchy drum rumbles and an impressive turn from Dizzee. It's 'Conquer the World' featuring Brandy that really stands out though. Not only is Jessie J singing with one of the most successful female artists of our time, they're singing a decent song together. It's guitar lead ballad mastery at its finest.
Alive is a huge step forward from Who You Are. It's a bit more grown up, packed with some real pop brilliance, and showcases a much more vocally controlled Jessie J. It's not as jumbled as its predecessor, serving as a far tighter collection of songs. She's survived the curse of the sophomore album in terms of quality, let's just see if it can match the high level of success she's set with her past musical expeditions.
Download: Daydreamin' / Thunder / Square One / Wild
4 / 5
It's a bit cheeky for Britney Spears to be telling us to work harder if we want luxury goods. I could put on a slutty outfit and mime to her greatest hits in a blonde wig if I was being paid millions of dollars every year. Just sayin'.
