I love Jessica, and I want her to succeed..so as I do for idol contestants, I bought her album. (I expect season 3 to beat my record of bought idol debut albums from a single season. As I expect I'll also buy DeAndre's, Hollie's, Joshua's, Elise's, and Skylar's depending on the songs. Versus Season 10's top 3 and Casey.) First of all, her cover art..and album title are fantastic. (And it's apparently "Me, You, & the Music..oops)
First track is "Right to Love." (C ) It's in the vein of Rihanna and JLO..the techno pop, similar to her first single. The lyrics are a little..clumsy. And the song doesn't mean much. But in terms of sounds, it's not bad..but it's not extremely catchy.
Tonight - (B) We've all heard it. Similar comments to "Right to Love" except it is catchy. Extremely catchy.
Don't Come Around - (A) I heard her sing an acoustic version of this song, and I liked it a lot. It doesn't disappoint. Lyrically it's very good and it's redemption for "Change Nothing." Telling the guy to go instead of being a dateline NBC female Martyr song. In terms of sounds, it's interesting and catchy. She adds a little bit of a Jamaican accent in parts that make the song. I hope she releases this as a single in the summer, because I think it's a better single than "Tonight." IMO, best song on the album.
Crazy Glue - (B) first ballad of the album. (Not sure if it's the only). Her vocal is beautiful, as always. (Although not as amazing as "Sweet Dreams" from the season.) The song itself is very cute. Very 16/17 year old. The one thing I will say, is it sounds like the song is compressed, as her voice is much higher than it typically is.
No One Compares - (B) Featuring someone named Prince Royce. The beginning of this song is beautiful. I thought it was going to be my favorite. It then turns into a dance music song. (Like most of her album.) This is a bit more of a mature song. I can easily see it on the radio.
In Your Hands - (B-). From the beginning of the song, I thought it was going to be where I like Jessica best..in the Alicia Keys soul/R&B venue. Similar to "How Come You Don't Call Me." And it mostly stays there, but it's a little more overproduced than those songs should be. I also don't think she's suited for a lot of words in a short period of time, which this songs forces her to do. (Similar to Lauren)
Plastic Roses - (A-) Clearly, Jessica's best songs are man hating songs. This is slower, although it's got a stronger beat, so I'm not sure if it's technically a ballad. But her voice shines on it, very good lyrics, great hook. Very strong song.
Drive By - (B+) This song made me smile. The lyrics are great. The hook is great. It's so appropriate for a 17 year old girl. Sound wise it's interesting. I liked this one a lot.
You've Got The Love - (B) I feel like the exact same comments from "Tonight" belong here. It's a little bit of a better song. But it actually sounds a little more...old fashioned. It sounds like something a young Whitney would sing (or has sung.) Which is not necessarily bad. This song also does that weird compression thing with her voice again, making her sound like Michael Jackson..when he was 5.
Gentlemen - (A-) Jessica and her man hating strike again.
Lyrically, it's not as great on the Hook as some of the others. But it's very catchy, very fun, her voice sounds fierce in this song.
Overall, it's actually more of a baby Rihanna type of sound, despite the fact that Jessica actually sounds much more similar to Beyonce. It's similar to a majority of pop records, some filler..one song you always skip, and a couple of very good tracks. Very good for an Idol debut. Her style is very "in" right now, and with the right promotion, this could sell a lot. I'll be honest, I was concerned when I heard "Tonight." (Once again, a very poor first single choice.) But there are plenty of songs that make up for it.
It is a very young album. Which is good, I'm sure that's the audience she's going for.
"Don't Come Around" "Plastic Roses" "Drive By" and "Gentleman" are standouts with "Don't Come Around" as the best.
