HipHopOurWay.com | Hip Hop News, Blogs, Radio, and TV Community

Home

Music

CD Reviews

Review: Jazmine Sullivan- Fearless

CD Reviews

Written by Sha

Some people have written her off as a "Lauryn Hill wannabe" due to her raspy and soulful debut single "Need You Bad" People Magazine called her the "African-American answer to Amy Whinehouse." However, both assumptions are wrong. Jazmine Sullivan is far from a wannabe and definitely is not attempting to fill the shoes of a cracked-out psuedo-soul singer.

Jazmine Sullivan is no gimmick or newcomer. She has been singing since she was a little girl and her powerful voice puts her in a league of her own. She appeared on Apollo at the tender age of 11, then signed to Jive records at 15, only to be dropped a couple years later. Despite all the ups and downs, the future is looking very bright for the talented singer with the release of her debut album Fearless.

Hailing from Philadelphia, a city that has a legacy of talented artists including Patti LaBelle, The O’Jays, Musiq Soulchild and Jill Scott; Jazmine Sullizan has set out to carve her own lane. The 21 year old songstress once said in an interview that she did not listen to the radio while making her album because she did not want it to sound like anything else that’s out. Well Ms. Sullivan—mission accomplished!

Fearless, lives up to its name. Jazmine shows she is willing to experiment and be very imaginative. The result is an album where each song has its own sound. Sullivan says many of her songs are not written from experience, yet she utilizes her creativity and writes of things other may experience. This is evident on the singer second single, "Bust Your Windows", which has Jazmine singing the words of an irrational scorned lover. This intensity is also fueled into "Call Me Guilty" The song deals with the serious issue of domestic abuse. If you thought Jazmine was gully for singing about busting windows, she takes it a step further and puts herself in the shoes of a abused woman that has reached her final straw and kills her man. (All you Ike Turners better fall back, Jazzy ain’t having it!)

She shows her vulnerable side on the touching "Lion Tigers & Bears", a standout track that displays a level of creativity and sincerity rarely scene in the music these days. Her soul stirring ballad "In Love With Another Man" exhibits her vocal range and you get to hear how raw and unique her voice is. Jazmine wrote the song as a teenager and it has been gaining attention even before the album dropped. Adding another alternative sound to the album is "After the Hurricane", a ballad that relates the pain of a broken heart to the aftermath of a powerful hurricane.

We get to hear Jazmine’s playful side on the 60’s inspired "One Night Stand" and bonus track "Switch". And although there is a new wave of singers making doing retro-soul music (Amy Whinehouse, Solange, Duffy, etc.), Jazmine still manages to create her own sound on these tracks and her mature voice matches well with the old-school sound.

On "Fear" Sullivan shares some of the things that worry her. At one point she sings "I am scared to start, cause I am scared to quit, I am scared that people won’t like my s—t." Well, after listening to Fearless, I think Jazmine has one less thing to worry about.

Although I was expecting and hoping to hear more soulful/jazzy tracks, Fearless is a fantastic album. It can not be categorized as a Soul, R&B, or Pop album; it doesn’t fit in any box and is full of diverse sounds that reflect Jazmine’s talent and creativity. She wrote every song on the album. And even though she sings of her fears and insecurities, Jazmine Sullivan is obviously not afraid to make great music that stands out from the norm.

I give Fearless an A. Its an incredible album that will become timeless because of its unique sound. Make sure you grab a copy if you haven’t already, because its definitely worth your money!

Comments

Add New