REVIEW #1: 60/100

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‘Until I Die’ is the debut album from bubbling-under pop singer Jessie J. As her introduction to the music world, Jessie unleashes a heavily death-inspired, goth-girl dream record – but is it to die for?

 

Firstly, UID as a sonic experience is like an 80s glam rock rendition of the Phantom of the Opera. Upon hearing that statement, you may think this album is Jessie’s attempt at the soundtrack for a Rocky Horror Picture Show sequel that never saw the light of day. You may also assume that any of the above references and comparisons are negative – not at all. There’s a reason the 80s, glam rock, Phantom of the Opera and Rocky Horror Picture Show are all beloved by many to this day and it all comes down to a certain campy charm. That’s where Until I Die toes the line in terms of whether it’s ultimately successful for me or not – does it embrace the campy charm that would stop this rock-pop record about death, dying and being deceased from entering the region of unnecessarily macabre? Well, almost.

 

Therein lies the key to successes of this album – Jessie’s ability to get the balance between the morbid and the theatrical right in a way that doesn’t lean too depressing or too high school production of Sweeney Todd. ‘Nothing Beyond’ is an immediate standout thanks largely in part to the thumping production that interpolates Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’. I mean, tell me you don’t hear that song and immediately picture the main character of some Halloween B-movie cult classic waltzing in to a night club upon freshly murdering their spouse (this is all a positive, of course). Other tracks like ‘Flight! Fright! Freeze!’ which feels like a Bowie-inspired art rock anthem are further examples of Jessie striking the right balance.

 

However, where the album lets itself down is in the areas where it takes itself, and its deathly theme, too seriously. It’s certainly a unique concept for a predominantly pop record, but it’s perhaps too bold an artistic decision for the singer, especially at this stage in her career. Devoting your debut album, your introduction to the world as an artist, to an entire album bout death, dying, demons, devils and destruction is a confusing risk. Is this Jessie J’s style? Is death-pop her genre of choice going forward? Is this her brand? Something tells me the answer there is no and so, again, this seems like a bizarre way of making yourself known. I would have liked to see an album that tells me a bit more about who Ms. J is.

 

More on the theme of death – one might even feel as though they’d seen enough of the stuff just skimming through the tracklist. Die, Night, Fright, Death, Devil, Alive, No Going Back, Fade Away…. it’s a lot. And listening through the album, it does feel as though the concept was stretched thin from start to finish. The album is a short one at nine songs, which was probably a good move considering had there been 2-3 more songs about death, the concept would have been fully six feet under. But even in its stunted length, one can’t help but feel they’re hearing more of the same as they jump from track to track. Jessie’s reluctance to either dive deeper on these themes or go broader and give herself more material to work with, certainly lets the album down. And while it’s nice to see a full-length album from Jessie after her XX EP, I can’t help but wonder if ‘Until I Die’ would have been more successful in the same format. The song-writing is at times too thin, not really giving us enough to understand the logic behind the songs, or too vague, leaving you scratching your head trying to figure out the metaphors Jessie is going for. The beautiful ballad ‘Still Alive’ stands out as an exception, with the more stripped-back, softer approach giving Jessie a chance to really get in to the song writing with a bit more guts. I’m intrigued to see what the singer is capable of writing when not restricting herself with the death theme.

 

The production on the album is another one its strengths - for the most part. Songs like Nothing Beyond, FFF!, Death Drive, No Going Back and Fade Away all feature some great production that picks up a bit of the slack from the songwriting side of the things. However, there are a few strange production choices on songs like the title track and Devil's Sight where things get a bit jarring (or downright chaotic). Maybe this is an artistic choice, but it affects the listenability of the album.

 

Overall, Until I Die is a debut album unlike any we’ve really seen before from an odd-yet-intriguing singer who, while she must be commended for her serious dedication to a theme, ultimately holds herself back from realising her full potential because of it. When leaning in to the pure camp and over-the-top, self-aware playfulness of the subject matter, Jessie J shows promise as a unique pop artist that doesn’t really exist in the industry right now. Whether this is her true calling or not remains to be seen because, as this record also shows, Jessie is still caught up in trying to prove herself as an artist that must be taken seriously. It’s still early days for Jessie J, but I’m interested to see what becomes of this Mistress of Death.

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REVIEW #2: 64/100

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Jessie J is, to put it mildly, a strange figure in the industry. Her relatively short career has found her at the epicenter of controversy and discussion and little of it has revolved around her output itself. Her debut project, XX, was released a couple of years ago to a mixed response and for a time, it looked like that was the first and last we were going to see of her. However, last year she introduced us to her first proper era with the release of the title track off of the album. Since then Jessie has managed to stay relatively controversy free and even collect herself a couple of bonafide chart hits. But in the run up to the album, her exposure decreased and there was little to truly latch onto to predict how the album would turn out. In that regard, Until I Die is a surprise. All Jessie really had to do was release something that stands a step above her EP. Is that what she’s done with Until I Die? 

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The album opens with it’s lead single and title track “Until I Die”, and it’s just as weak as it was when it was released last November. The song from a production standpoint is incredibly messy, not following any sort of logical flow or structure. While it seems the intention was to be a bit experimental with the presentation, it’s done in such a haphazard way that it makes the song feel disconnected. Melodically, the song also feels as if it's adrift most of the time. There isn’t anything memorable about the melody but that’s mostly down to how inconsistent it is, never landing on something long enough to stick out. Lyrically the song does a decent job of setting the table and while it’s fairly surface level stuff, the lyrics ultimately rise to become the best element of the song overall. 

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“Sun At Night” is a notable improvement over the title track, but it flips the issues. On this track, the production is the easy highlight. It’s hard to properly describe, but it carries a certain camp tone that makes it instantly memorable. It’s laid out logically, it has a definite flow, and it has a clear structure. The elements that it comprises work well together and make a soundscape that is both unique and interesting. However, the music is let down by the lyricism. While the title track had an unremarkable but solid set of lyrics, many of the lines here feel like first drafts that somehow made it to the album. “I climb the beanstalk to meet you/Just for the hug that you give”, “The pigs are flying and you are back”, and “Over there the demons ate up the sun” are a few examples of lines that are awkwardly worded and strangely chosen. The thing is though that it has moments where the lyrics do land very well. It makes it frustrating that those moments of gold are held back by the glaring flaws of other lines. A good set of lyrics is within the song, but it’s misses ring louder than it’s hits. 

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“Nothing Beyond” surprisingly employs a sample of the classic Eurythmics track “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and while it doesn’t detract from the song it doesn’t particularly add anything either. The best samples are samples used to enhance the new song by creating connective tissue between the new song’s DNA and the old song’s DNA.The two songs work in harmony, either sharing a meaning of a vibe. Here, the sample is superfluous and the song would not have been lesser without it, but as mentioned it also doesn’t make the song less because of it. Around the sample is another beat that seems to have taken the same approach as the title track, although it has more of a defined structure and is all the better for it. Lyrically the song feels like it had more time and effort as it’s probably the strongest lyrical offering on the album thus far, though that may be faint praise. Dealing with the innate human fear of what comes after death, she’s not digging particularly deep here but she’s playing with her theme with SOME degree of curiosity and exploration. The song, ironically, feels more alive than the first two, but it still doesn’t propel the album into being something truly special yet. It exists as a small step forward, but this far into the tracklist we should be further from the starting line than we are. 

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“Fight! Flight! Freeze!”, perhaps the most well known track from the album, also happens to be one of it’s stronger offerings. The production on the song is genuinely quite creative and the way the vocals and melody work in such harmony with it make the song feel incredibly professional and budgeted in a way the previous songs did not. The synth line that populates the whole song is like something out of a vintage sci-fi film and it lends a campy tone to the song that counteracts it’s serious lyrics in a way that balances things keeping it from being too campy or too melodramatic. Lyrically the song isn’t innovative or particularly deep but she gets her point across with no lines that stand out as particularly bad or or wonky. It could be better lyrically, but it could be far worse. 

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“Death Drive” is the song that seems to have the most commercial appeal as a new single. Production wise the song is one of the strongest moments on the album. The beat is down and dirty and demands your attention, but not in a way that confuses you like elsewhere on the album. The song has a vibe to it that’s really hard to pin down, and there’s nothing elsewhere on the album that really reaches into the tone that this song has. The bridge in particular with the heavy breathing, the growing instrumentation, and the layers upon layers of sound is particularly memorable. Lyrically though the song cannot really stand up to match the brilliance of the production. And while the same could be said for the previous track, here the divide between the lyrics and the music is more noticeable because of the strength of the music. Jessie’s writing is once more pretty shallow, touching on points we’ve heard again and again while adding nothing new or personal to the table. It’s lyricism by numbers through a good portion of it and it stands out against the strength of the song around the words. 

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“Devil’s Sight” comes a bit out of left field but in the best possible way. The song is a wild ride from start to finish. It begins not completely out of step with the rest of the project, but as it continues to grow and build, it takes on something much more powerful and interesting. The song feels as if it’s constantly moving forward and growing toward something specific which is the first time on this album that something feels so intentional and thought over. By the time we get to the explosive outro, you’re at the song’s mercy. The melody is simple yet memorable, the delivery powerful and impactful, and the lyrics are actually quite well done and contribute to the sense of tension the song is littered with. Though the previous song has more of a commercial chance, this is the song that should be made the album’s official ambassador as this is certainly where it peaks. 

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“Still Alive” is the album’s stab at a ballad and while it’s fine, it isn’t the emotional centerpiece that Jessie probably intended it to be. Lyrically, the song is one of the best written on the album in terms of the word choice and the phrasing (“A tragic tale that remains ignored” is one of the album’s standout lines), though it doesn’t dig down deeper to find something truly personal and emotional. It’s a bit frustrating that it’s not something more than just a swim on the surface, but for what she’s intending, perhaps this’ll make it easier to latch onto. Production wise, the song cannot seem to decide whether it wants to be a cliche ballad or be different. It mixes the ballad conventions with a church-like chime and wind and other assorted sounds in the background while this on paper sounds like simple additions, it makes the background of the song feel busy. For what it is, the song is effective and well written, and it is well (albeit strangely) composed as well. But it can’t be called one of the strongest cuts, despite it possibly being intended to be. 

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“No Going Back” is, essentially, a glorified interlude that was given the song treatment, but that isn’t a slight on it. The lyrics are sparse, not saying nearly as much as other tracks on the album, but they don’t seem to be the point. No, this song is all about the production and it’s unquestionably the boldest moment on the album. The song continues to grow and grow, chasing after something just like “Devil’s Sight” did. When it gets there, the release into the chaotic soundscape is cathartic. It isn’t fair to call this the best song on the album when it’s not much of a song in terms of what it says. That title will go to “Devil’s Sight”. But as a musical exercise, this is the production standout. 

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“Fade Away” closes the album on a sombre note, a surprising turn of events. While this twist of not really getting a happy (per say, it depends on your definition of catharsis)  resolution is interesting, the song doesn't end up as the solid landing it should’ve been. Production wise the song is perfectly solid, it’s string elements being the best thing about it. The song doesn’t really go anywhere though, ending essentially in the same place it began. This leaves the ending a little flat. Lyrically the song repeats the same problem most of the songs do and that’s offers lyrics that sound fine, but don’t go in search of something more. They’re safe, somewhat cliche, and this leaves them not having much resonance. It’s not the weakest song on the album, but it’s hard to say Jessie totally stuck the landing. 

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Until I Die is better than many expected but lesser than some may have hoped. As far as debuts go, we’ve seen far worse. And while it seems harsh to compare it to something else, that’s one of the only ways one can really discuss the album as it doesn’t offer much that makes it unique. That is it’s biggest problem. It’s not an album you could’ve only turned to Jessie to receive, it could’ve been put out by most anyone and it has already to some degree. She was able to take what has worked in music over the last few years and dress herself with it, but in the end it is still just a costume. That being said, the costume fits. She stays in her lane well and the album does what a pop album is expected to do about as well as anyone could ask. What it lacks in originality it makes up for in consistent execution. The album avoids the pitfall of being all over the place, keeping it’s sound and themes consistent from start to finish. There’s not much of a journey on the album, but we end somewhere that makes sense from where we began. 

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There are definitely moments here that stand out, and it’d be unfair to call the album anything less than decent. I’d go as far as to say it’s good, occasionally great. It has built a solid foundation for Jessie to build a career off of. It also shows that Jessie’s taken the time to understand what makes an album an album. She keeps here theme and intentions clear throughout, even when the songs don’t quite reach the peaks she intended. She works her way through the project with comfort, never once does the album feel like Jessie’s uncomfortable or out of her wheelhouse. Love for the work from the work’s author goes a long way and the album feels cared about and thought about. While not the rolicking triumph she may have hoped for, it’s not the disaster her detractors hoped for. 

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That in and of itself is an undeniable win for Jessie J.

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REVIEW #2: 70/100

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There are many polarizing figures out there right now. Lindsay Lohan, Iggy Azalea and so on. But none of them are quite as unique as Jessie J. Following the release of her critically panned extended play, XX, named after the female chromosome, the English singer has released her debut album, at last. Titled "Until I Die" and preceded by the title track and the GRAMMY nominated "Fight! Flight! Freeze!", the album features 9 songs and features lyrics that touch upon vulnerability, elevated fears, anxiety and panic. Sonically, the album blends electronic music with alternative and industrial music.

 

The record opens with "Until I Die", the title track that touches upon the theme of remembering somebody all the way up to the point where they are no longer alive. The overall product is not the best work of Jessie J, thought it has some parts. Melody-wise, the song feels a bit all over the place, but the post-chorus is extremely catchy and a nice change to the repetitive chorus. The lyrics are pretty simple, maybe more than they should be and the production is fine, the atmosphere it creates being very fitting with the theme of the song. Should the melody have been more contained and not so in your face, the song would've been a perfect mix industrial and emo dance.

 

"Sun At Night" comes next. The intro is very pretty, the strings certainly keep the theme of macabre and death going. However, the production leaves a bit more to desire in the beginning, but it picks up in the end. Lyrically, the song is a pretty ballad-like moment, though the lyrics tend to be a little cheesy or overly simple, almost like one can see how hard the writers tried to achieve the emotion. "The pigs are flying and you are back", especially, is a prime example of that, a line that tries to convey emotion but ends up being awkward. However, there are some good moments. "Over there the demons ate up the sun / But here your life has just begun" is a nice segment and so is the verse following after, excelling at putting the song's message forward and using the main metaphor perfectly.

 

As soon as "Nothing Beyond" begins, the listener can hear a sample of the new wave hit single, "Sweet Dreams". The usage of the sample elevates the song to a new level, although it relies too heavily on it, almost being cannibalized by it production-wise. The lyrics are interesting, the repetition of the question throughout should be annoying but it actually works and presents the idea of "there's nothing beyond" in a realistic way, with a lot of questions and little answers. The hit single "Fight! Flight! Freeze!" comes up next, an absolute highlight on the record. The lyrics are very well written, probably the best so far at this point, describing perfectly the idea of a "war inside my head". Besides that, the production and the melody go perfect with each other. The instrumental with its dark, industrial influences creates the anxious atmosphere described by the lyrics, while the melody, featuring certain moments of "gaps" between reaching the end lines, recognizes perfectly the idea of needing to take a break while having a panic attack.

 

"Death Drive" is on and the introduction is interesting, almost sensual. One has to give credit where is due, the pre-chorus is extremely catchy. And even the rest of the song is great, with the lyrics getting increasingly better, one being able to hear the effortlessness Jessica had in writing this. The production is probably the best on the song, the usage of a monster-like sound throughout, probably a symbol of the singer's fears, is ingenious and puts a nice touch to an already out of the box song. And even if the bridge sounds weird at first listen, the break it gives the listener before the final chorus is welcome and elevates the song. "Devil's Sight" continues the trend of good songs on the album, though it takes a different direction from the previous songs in a way. The lyrics are coherent and very poetic, though another song about being in the devil's claws... how refreshing. Not really. Back to the song, the strong house influences make the song an incredible, for lack of better word, bop, with a very catchy and danceable production. The last minute is insane and shows that Jessie is not afraid of getting dirty on the dancefloor.

 

Breaking the streak of upbeat songs is "Still Mine", a piano ballad with a touching theme. Though very simple in its production and lyrics, the entire track is touching and a definite highlight. "Forever on this wheel before I let go" conveys the message perfectly and the haunting bridge with the background vocals makes the track a gorgeous ballad to cry to. The transition to "No Going Back" feels very natural and the kind of build up first half of the song sure gives the album good continuity, giving the listener. Lyrically, there are some definitely weaker moments ("What do I have to prove / For you to bring back the spark" and "I'm closing my eyes / So you could close out the show") and most of the song is simple, but the production makes up for it, though it ends abruptly by the time the song picks up and gets the chance at being really good. In its entirety, this track feels like filler, a transitional moment to what turns out to be kind of an outro for the album, "Fade Away". The song is not bad, for sure a pretty moment, the strings really add up to the experience and its almost cinematic nature is very gorgeous to hear. Even the lyrics, though simple, read as simple poetry written in a diary, making them feel very personal and intimate. What has to be noted is the peaceful, calming nature of the track, a good way to end the album after a conglomeration of heavy and loud production choices.

 

Overall, "Until I Die" is a pretty successful debut. It has some weaker moments in the first third, with the lyrics and even some production choices being jarring and either too on the nose or too try hard. Then it moves on to the second third, where all the songs take a turn for the better, making it the best part of the album. The last third is very emotional, but leaves something to desire after the last two songs feel like an interlude and an outro. Jessie J seems to shine the best on "Fight! Flight! Freeze!", her best song yet, on "Death Drive", the most experimental maybe and the biggest pay-off, on "Devil's Sight", a catchy upbeat moment, and on "Still Mine", a beautiful emotional ballad that feels like the core of the record. "Nothing Beyond" and "No Going Back" are good songs with quite the repeat value, though they still need some polishing, as does "Fade Away", a song with that potential that leaves the listener wanting more. "Until I Die" and "Sun at Night" feel like after-thoughts or even over-thoughts, they try too hard and not hard enough at the same time. The British singer songwriter, Jessica Cornish, also known as Jessie J, is on the brink of something great. All she needs is to let go of any impossible expectations she has for herself and use the tools she clearly proved she has to create something she knows she'll love, not something she hopes an audience will love.