It’s been a long time since I’ve anticipated the release of an album, but I was lucky enough to hear two tracks from Jessie Reyez (including “Great One”) on the soundtrack to the 2019 movie Someone Great, and was instantly hooked. After discovering “Gatekeeper” and “Figures” from the Colombian-Canadian’s 2017 EP Kiddo, I was blown away and consumed any released track or live performance I could find as I waited for her debut studio album. While it’s hard to find a stronger example of her vocal talent than “Figures” which is recycled from her EP along with some others, that’s just a testament to the brilliance of that song, and there are plenty of new tracks to consume.
It’s a power move to have “Do You Love Her” as the first song when it begins with the lyric, “I should’ve f—ed d your friends”, and it establishes the tone of the album from the beginning. No punches are going to be pulled talking about love, both gained and lost, bitterness, betrayal, and moving on. While it sets the tone, Jessie’s self-proclaimed favorite track, “Ankles” is the anthem for knowing your worth. She added a deluxe version of the song with Rico Nasty and Melii lending their talents to the end of it, but the original has the feel of something done in one take with truthful passion.
In terms of guest artists on her debut, she goes as big as possible teaming with Eminem on the song “Coffin,” picking up where they left off after previously working together on his album Kamikaze. What starts as an acoustic guitar led melody finishes with bars from Eminem about a familiar topic, toxic relationships. The song may serve as the best representation of the project as a whole, with the chorus, “You make me wanna jump off the roof, ‘cause I love you to death, just like a fool. I’d rather a coffin, handmade for two,” describing a painful relationship you can’t escape and at times don’t want to.
A personal favorite is another holdover from a previously released single, “Imported” that features 6LACK. It’s a back and forth ballad dealing with the decision to try and get over a person by hooking up with someone else. It’s full of double meanings, and examples of her style where sometimes the emotion behind a lyric is more important than fully annunciating. She has this cool ability to dissolve into a hum once she’s expressed the gist of what she wants to say, and it works for her.
She is never afraid to derail an expectation for what a song is going to be by jumping to a different octave, allowing her voice to crack within control, soften to a whisper, or even include audio from production. It all enhances the appeal of her lyrical content, which is a talent she’s long been known for.
Honestly, the song I was waiting for was, “Dope” which is the only track you are likely to hear played in a club near you once able to return to one, and it’s a departure from most of the track list, but that’s not a knock at all. The song is exactly what I’d hoped it would be, which is ridiculously fun, with sexy lyrics and a beat that commands a fun performance like the one she gave during the movie, Someone Great. It joins “Roof” in being a short enjoyable departure from the narrative of the rest of the album.
Another such departure is the ballad, “La Memoria” which while about ill-fated love, is sung entirely in Spanish. It’s the only one to be performed as such, even though she does mix Spanish parts into several of her songs, and the Columbian influence is apparent throughout.
It’s disappointing that her tour with friend Billie Eilish, as well as her own had to be postponed just as she was beginning to hit another level with more people discovering her music for the first time. I myself already had tickets to an upcoming date, but it has to be incredibly satisfying to see what truly is a passion project in every sense of the word, finally become a reality.
This album will likely serve as a soundtrack for people all over the world dealing with their own pain stemming from love and relationships, and can be a therapeutic release for them, as it undoubtedly was for Reyez while creating it. Her heart and soul are on full unabated display in every note.
