insomniac1587's Full Review: Fearless by Jazmine Sullivan
In a day and age where image outweighs the quality in terms of actual radio play/promotion, it's always quite refreshing when you see someone who breaks the mold of what a star is "supposed" to look like and showcases a talent that the industry was sorely lacking. It seems as if the r&b field, in particular, focuses so much on the image that they fail to realize that talent comes in all shapes and sizes, relagating the fuller-figured, often time darker skinned women to subsets of r&b radio (i.e. urban AC). When you don't have a Beyonce behind or a Ciara stomach, it seems as if there's no room for you, minus the fact that those who are pushed into the corner often have the most loyal of fanbases. Which would you rather have: huge radio play/huge record sales but your fans are fickle or low radio play/moderate sales but your fans will always be there, ensuring you a career for years to come?
Jazmine Sullivan doesn't necessarily fit into either category; she may not be the light skinned, green eyed chanteuse that clogs up the radio airwaves but she's not the earthy, organic soulstress who makes "grown folks" r&b music. This is what makes her success all the more impressive; she has managed to garner huge radio play on r&b stations, rather respectable sales for a new artist, and yet she has done this all the while being herself. She seems to be just playable enough for the younger audience to get into but respectable enough for the older audience to still be able to like without that dirty feeling associated with liking something too mainstream.
Released in September 2008, Sullivan's Fearless is an album that bounces all over the stylistic map yet you get a sense of her identity, something that doesn't come easy in any musical genre. Second single Bust Your Windows has a hypnotic whine to it, a mysteriously stomping ode to revenge that has incensed male listeners and empowered female listeners. Produced by frequent collaborator Salaam Remi (Nas, Amy Winehouse), it's deliciously vindictive, an urban take on Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats with more believable angst and a wry sense of humor embedded in Sullivan's delivery. Its latin influences are quite surprising, especially for an opening track, but it sets the pace for the rest of the record. When I first heard debut single Need U Bad, I figured Jazmine would have a pretty decent chart showing, as this swaying reggae-tinged number is catchy enough, her performance is solid, and her connection to Missy Elliott would provide an alright buzz. It ended up going number one on the r&b charts, which gives me a little bit more faith in the fact that the genre I hold so dear may not be completely dead. It has a distinct yearning to it but don't mistake Jazmine for a female Keith Sweat in that regard; she needs this man, she wants him so much, but she'll be able to make it without him. Lions, Tigers, & Bears is one of the more emotionally naked tracks on Fearless, a look into Sullivan's psyche that says more in 4 minutes than some artists have said in an entire career. Her vocal texture is striking in that this is not pro-tooled to death; Sullivan reminds me a lot of Mary J Blige in that while she may not hit every note perfectly, you feel a lot when she sings. It almost sounds like a waltz to me, swelling orchestral instrumentation during the climax sealing the deal of this being a genius choice for a third single.
Call Me Guilty is an absolute stunner of a track; the tale of an abused woman striking down her abuser, it's written with an urgency and frazzled mind that helps its authenticity. Sullivan's vocal performance is goosebump-worthy. Even though you don't find a lot of glory notes in it, she embodies the character, raising the frustration, fear, and joy that you're supposed to feel with a definite ease. The extra spoken parts may come off as cheesy to some, but to me, they help enhance the story and make the song a bit more visual than it would have been otherwise. One Night Stand and My Foolish Heart have distinct retro influences to them, the first moreso than the latter. Stand takes the doo-wop girl group vibe to another level, crafting a fairly humorous little ditty that becomes one of the catchier songs on the record. Just imagine some of the songs from the 1960s with a stronger bass and a modern edge to them and you have this song; it may not be the most powerful song in the world but it's a welcome break from some of the more emotionally heavy material that finds its way on the record. Heart is a bit of a darker listen, relying on Sullivan's wailing performance to illustrate the anger at oneself for falling for someone over and over again. It's elastic bassline is genius while the harmonies are some of the crispest on the record.
Before Sullivan released her album, In Love With Another Man was a song that garnered pretty significant buzz and rightfully so. Rather than going to the tried-and-true female r&b staple of "he cheated on me, he's a dog", this gospel-leaning ballad of infidelity is raw and real, using a singular piano (with organ flourishes) as the main instrument and letting Sullivan work her magic. Instead of going into the track like a buzzsaw, she builds up the emotion, exploding on the emotional climax, perfecting the kind of resigned regret that a song like this needs. This is simply a career-making song and one that will be hard to top for the rest of her career. While not being the most complexly written song, Fear will be one of the more relatable pieces on the record, reading like a laundry list of things that make Sullivan afraid. Including sex, people not liking her music, and flying, this streamlined piece of strolling soul music reassures us that we're not human without fear. Not exactly rocket science but it's nice to see a contemporary r&b record with a positive message that doesn't veer into being overly religious. Building off a Daft Punk sample, the luscious Dream Big is adventurous and yet another glimpse into the person Jazmine Sullivan is. The sample is very inconspicuous, in that the light-electro sound of this inspirational reach-for-the-stars anthem fits in with the eclectic sound of the rest of the record. It's not exactly dance-y electro, more along the lines of ambient music. Sullivan sounds just fine, putting her experiences into her vocal performance and showing the class and determination that has allowed her the career that she enjoys to this day. It's almost her "if I can do it, you can do it" challenge to those who may be struggling or unmotivated.
After the Hurricane may sound a little melodramatic to some but to me, it's a lilting, tear-soaked break-up ballad with a mean vocal and a bridge that sets the song apart from others of its ilk. Like a lot of the material on the record, you don't get the feeling of pretense here; Sullivan is not one for being guarded with her emotions and this song is no exception. You know it's a strong, affecting song if you feel like you're listening to something you shouldn't and that's how it is here. It's almost as if she recorded this directly after a break-up during her free time and it leaked. Regardless, it's some spectacular, thematic stuff. Live a Lie jingles and jangles, a fiercely strummed uptempo that erupts in an introspective, knowing chorus. It has a laidback air to it, Sullivan never having to really struggle or try to hard to achieve what she sets out to do. The closest thing to a bad song on the record is the cutesy Switch!, a dizzying, slightly goofy little ditty that does no harm to the quality of the record. It's the least essential song, leaning a bit too heavily on the doo-wop elements that others songs have used more effectively. It's almost a caricature of doo-wop, not a tribute. Concerning the realization that Sullivan liked her man's best friend more than him, it's not necessarily a bad song, just one that doesn't measure up to the rest of the record.
Jazmine Sullivan is not Beyonce, Amerie, Christina Milian, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Erykah Badu, or any of the other multitude of pretty faces that continually fight for radio airplay. Instead of following the two clear lanes that she could have, Sullivan makes her own, borrowing bits and pieces from hip hop, electronica, tango, soul, doo-wop, and pop music to fuse together a beautiful mosaic of a record. It may not be glossy or full of ready-made smashes, but this record is solid in its naturalness and rawness. Sullivan co-writes every song and you actually believe this, because it doesn't feel like anybody else in the music business but her. Time will only tell if her debut's success will transfer into an avoidance of the sophomore slump but have no fear in picking up Fearless, an album that grows on you listen after listen.
Great Music to Play While: realizing that being different is okay
Favorites: After the Hurricane, In Love With Another Man, Call Me Guilty Not So Much: Switch!
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