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Jessie J has only been on the public’s radar for a matter of months but she’s made quite an impact. With key accolades under her bling bling belt (BBC Sound of 2011, BRIT awards Critic’s choice award) she’s on the right track – but just who is Jessie J? And what sort of a pop star does she want to be?
Her debut album is the first step to answering that question and quite frankly it’s as confusing as her supposed sexuality. ‘Who You Are’ is a messy affair – a mish-mash of styles (perhaps deliberately) with the aim of establishing what her niche is in cold, hard sales.
Is she the new Lily Allen (Rainbow)? Is she another Katy Perry in the making (Abracadabra)? Does she want to knock Christina Aguilera off her perch (Mamma knows best)? Hell, does she want to be a member of Eternal (Casualty of Love)?
In truth it’s when Jessie mimics some of her illustrious peers that she sounds at her best. ‘Rainbow’ is a zingy little pop track which bounces off the walls. ‘Price Tag’ is the mega-selling single the album needs. Even ‘Abracadabra’ is perky – despite the obvious comparison with Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’.
Sadly a lot of the album drifts by without a raised eyebrow. ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ and ‘Casualty of Love’ are depressingly mundane offerings. ‘Do it like a Dude’ has plenty of balls but lyrics written by a six year old.
‘Who’s laughing now’ does manage to raise an eyebrow but only for its spoilt “screw you doubters” outlook, which doesn’t reflect well on Jessie’s likeability. Indeed her attempts to convince us she is ‘ghetto’ are about as convincing as Jennifer Lopez’s were.
All of which makes for a personality crisis of an album caught in a mix of styles. You can’t help but feel for the girl – this has big label influence written all over it. Let’s hope she has enough success to do it on her terms next time.
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