“A solid debut by country/pop artist Jessie James. Â Jessie James definitely shows promise as a music artist and her debut album is definitely catchy, fresh and enjoyable.”
ARTIST: Jessie James
ALBUM: Jessie James
LABEL: Island Def Jam
DURATION: 42:40
RELEASE DATE: August 10, 2009
- Wanted
- Bullet
- I Look So Good (Without You)
- Burnin’ Bridges
- Blue Jeans
- My Cowboy
- Big Mouth
- Burn It Up
- Psycho Girlfriend
- Inevitable
- Girl Next Door
- Guilty
BUY THIS ALBUM:
Jessie James makes her album debut with a self-titled album showcasing her passion for pop and country music. Powerful vocals and great balance between the two musical genres, “Jessie James” is a solid album featuring great music.
My first introduction to Jessie James music was through the Blu-ray of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and her song “Blue Jeans” was the menu theme song and for the most part, it was a sexy/catchy pop track that caught my attention, so needless to say, I was looking forward to her self-titled debut album and after listening to the album, one will realize that Jessie James is an artist that can take on a different genres. Â Track after track, you’ll get something different. Â May it be rock, pop, country or a hybrid of the genres, it all works.
The album kicks off with her first single “Wanted”. The song is a rock-driven track produced by Mitch Allan (lead singer and guitarist of SR-71).  Allan’s known for producing quite a few hits such as “1985” for Bowling for Soup but for the first track off the album, there are other tracks that better showcase her vocals.  Backing vocals feature “American Idol” judge and mega-producer Kara Dioguardi singing the background vocals.
The second track “Bullet” is produced by Trey Vittetoe and Ted Bruner. Â A track that combines Jessie James passion for country music and pop music is quite evident in this track. Â Dominant country steel guitar frills and pop-inspired beats, “Bullet” is an enjoyable track merging both genres. Â Also, music artist Katy Perry lends her vocals for the background and also lyrics.
The third track “I Look so Good (Without You)” is produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Kerkins (known for Pussycat Dolls song “When I Grow Up” and Britney Spears cover of “I Love Rock n’ Roll”) and is an enjoyable rock track. Â The track is driven by the acoustic guitar and showcases Jessie’s country-style vocals .
The fourth track “Burnin’ Bridges” is a ballad produced by Julian Bunetta. Â The track is solid but is rather challenging vocally and one of those Kelly Clarkson-like ballads but for the most part, James pulls it off.
The fifth track “Blue Jeans” is the second track produced by Bunetta and used for the film “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. Â Sexy pop track that utilize the steps, claps and slide guitar.
The sixth track “My Cowboy” is produced by John Rich and another hybrid country song that combines the steel guitar frills and fiddle to deep pop beats which are much more dominant in this track.
The seventh track “Big Mouth” is the third track produced by Julian Bunetta. Â The song is a pop track with a catchy chorus and overall a solid track.
The eighth Brunetta-produced track is titled “Burn It Up” is a pretty solid pop track. Â Definitely a much different track compared to the others in the album. Â Very soul R&B inspired.
The ninth Brunetta-produced track titled “Psycho Girlfriend” continues the R&B-style of music with a deep beat and a little reminiscent of Suzanne Vega hit “Tom’s Diner”.
The tenth track is “Inevitable” produced by John Fields (who worked with Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato) and actually is a rock track that compliments James vocals. Â Beautiful track!
The eleventh track “Girl Next Door” is written by music artist Katy Perry (who also provides the background vocals). Â A pretty cool mid-tempo track and Perry’s style of lyrics is quite evident in this track. Â Overall, a solid track.
The final track on the album “Guilty” is produced by Julian Bunetta and similar to “Burnin’ Bridges” in the fact that it is a beautiful track that also challenges Jessie James during the vocals. Â But overall, a track that is a subtle hybrid country/pop track. Overall, a solid track.
As for the CD insert, it’s a quad fold flyer that features production credits and a photo of Jessie James on both sides. Â No lyrics included.
Jessie James first debut album is quite solid. Â The album showcases that Georgia/Nashville style but partners the country/pop artist with solid producers from different genres and even two tracks courtesy of Katy Perry. Â I am quite surprised that the first track off the album was “Wanted” but nevertheless, it all depends how the label intends to promote her. Â She definitely can move to different genres, may it be rock, country or pop and for the most part, you get a little a bit of everything on this album.
There are tracks that really challenge her vocally and for the most part, those tracks she does pull it off but not entirely.  Her vocals are quite reminiscent  of a Christina Aguillera but instead of focusing on sexy pop, James shows that she can do sexy but combining it with both country and pop genres.  While these days, it’s nothing new to hear country/pop especially with artists such as Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Michelle Branch and Miley Cyrus having experimented with different genres and showing that people have a tremendous interest in that style as evident by their single and album sales.
Jessie James definitely shows promise as a music artist and her debut album is definitely catchy, fresh and enjoyable.