Jazmine Sullivan is a name that has become synonymous with soul that flows like rich chocolate, but she has tried to capture a more raw essence of R&B with her new album Love Me Back. Her hard hitting beats and funky vocals add a new dimension to her music, but that doesn’t mean the record is faultless.
Overplayed themes and underwhelming messages tarnish the beautiful voice behind the music. “Love You Long Time,” is the first attention catching song on the album. Sullivan successfully melds together beautiful background and foreground vocals to create an innovative pop sound. With a snare drum beat keeping a fresh drum line pace, listeners will easily get carried away with this song’s crisp rhythm.
Since Sullivan’s last album release she has reached for the gusto and tried to implant a new twist on her primarily smooth beats, embedding more intense, guttural R&B tones.
A perfect example of her new, raw R&B style is, “Redemption,” where a simple drum beat keeps a solid flow when Sullivan rolls in with a powerful rap. She paints a bittersweet story with her lyrics, singing about forgiveness and how even bad people need redemption some times; using strong imagery to pull at our heartstrings.
However, the song that sets itself apart from the record’s ensemble of nougaty R&B goodness is “Luv Back.” Again, Sullivan dominates the floor with the dynamics of background singers melding with her sultry voice.
As the song progresses, the tone gets funky. Electronic claps set the pace as Sullivan rolls with the rhythm singing, “Just give me my love back.” Her sweet tones and poppy beats are difficult to resist humming too. This song is what will keep listeners coming back for more.
Despite Jazmine Sullivan’s new sound and sexy voice there is still one area the album seems to be lacking in. More than half her songs are about love or love lost, which is a beaten down rendition of what has already been done in the R&B world, and nearly all musical genres for that matter.
This cheapens songs like “10 seconds,” where Sullivan’s steamy voice sensually melts into the song, with her overwhelming need to dwell on how painful it is to be cheated on. Love is a compelling emotion, but it would be nice to hear some original ideas coming from such a stunning vocalist.
What can be said about Jazmine Sullivan is her music is like a good Twix bar. Love Me Back will have fans fawning over her sweet, chocolaty voice and the delectable accompaniment of that wholesome beat and smooth sound. But like a Twix bar, Love Me Back can only be enjoyed thoroughly in careful moderation. Otherwise, one begins to realize that her songs of the heart are as bland and commonplace as a shortbread cookie center.
3.5 out of 5 stars