Jessie J - Who Are You?

She is the sound of 2011 according to the BBC's annual poll. The release of her debut album Who Are You? was brought forward due to popular demand. And in addition to that she won the prestigious 'Critic's Choice Award' at this years BRIT Awards, stepping in the footsteps of Florence Welch (2009) and Ellie Goulding (2010). And yet it's easy to cherish low expectations towards Jessica Cornish - aka Jessie J. And that is not altogether justified. Because granting that it's usually the more chart-friendly artists who prevail in these hype lists over their more alternative counterparts, those 'mainstreamers' - among whom Little Boots, Adele and Duffy - have still proven themselves more interesting than your average Britney, Miley or Katy. And Jessie J is certainly not just another faceless pop starlet with a pretty face and a record deal.

Having said that, this debut didn't turn out to be the punch in the stomach first single 'Do It Like A Dude' led to believe. It is however, a pretty okay pop album, no triumph, but definately containing a few strong moments. The opening duo 'Price Tag'/'Nobody's Perfect' for starters. 'Price Tag' (ft. B.o.B.) is unpretentious, optimistic and sunny, in short the perfect pop song. 'We Just wanna make the world dance, forget about the price tag', Cornish sings in a haze of happiness. If there is a song out there at this moment that better captures the evergrowing longing for summer, I have yet to hear it. It's followed by 'Nobody's Perfect', in which the singer curses her own big mouth. It's not as if we haven't already heard a gazillion similar songs about feeling sorry about hurting a friend, but for some reason this one does the trick. And could you resist the insanely catchy, pompous-in-a-good-way warrior song 'Do It Like A Dude'? By the way, Jessie J has a better voice then you would maybe give her credit for. That is, better than you might expect, but perhaps not quite as good as she herself seems to think, judging from the somewhat all over the place vocals acrobatics on tracks like 'Big White Room'. Sometimes less is more. 

Besides a few genuinely promising track Who Are You? also contains a handful of middle-of-the-road pop/R&B songs. All too often however Cornish lapses into lyrical clichés, the reason for which may lie in background as a co-writer (she co-wrote 'Party In The USA' for Miley Cyrus among other work). Cornish garnered attention by co-writing songs for other artists and legend has it that 'Do It Like A Dude' was originally  intended for Rihanna. When that didn't work out she would have decided to use it for herself. It's a niche that works out fine for her, as she proves through tracks like 'LOVE', which take their strength from the fact that they at least feel personal as opposed to a song she's write for someone else. But it sometimes results in a fairly recognisable sound with strong references to the kind of artists she used to write for. 1990's R&B track 'Abracadabra' holds suspicious resemblance to Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dreams' in the chorus. 'Rainbow' even feels a bit weak to be a Beyoncé song while 'Mamma Knows Best' sounds like a mash-up of plan B (with whom she toured) and Gwen Stefani's 'The Sweet Escape'.

Is there then nothing that sets her apart from the crowd? Sure there is. The fact that she at least writes her own material and the fact that she's more than a one-dimensional cardboard cut-out of a singer makes even the weakest songs at least bearable. And at the same time no, there isn't. Who Are You rarely runs truly deep and at this point in her career, maybe that isn't her number one musical priority. Chances are that Cornish won't be remembered for this debut. Hell, chance are she won't be remembered at all. Time will tell whether or not she'll really set herself apart from the pop mainstream. The potential is definately there, but right now it seems she's still not willing to step outside of her comfort zone. But in the meantime she has nonetheless produced a fairly enjoyable album for the summer.

Tracklist

1. Price Tag (ft. B.o.B.)

2. Nobody's Perfect

3. Abracadabra

4. Big White Room (live)

5. Casualty of Love

6. Rainbow

7. Who's Laughing Now

8. Do It Like a Dude

9. Mamma Knows Best

10. L.OV.E.

11. Stand Up

12. I Need This

13. Who Are You
Bonus tracks
14. Price Tag (accoustic version)
15. Do It Like A Dude (accoustic version)
16. Who Are You (live accoustic version)
17. Price Tag (ft. B.o.B.; music video)
18. Do It Like A Dude (music video)