Right out of the gate, Jessie J delivers the opening line "I'ma do it like it ain't been done", on her third album "Sweet Talker", a very clear indication that she is ready to jump on the bandwagon of other pop artists who've been declaring the same thing since about 2010 or so. The irony is readily apparent, and unfortunately for Jessie, the rest of the album that follows this boastful statement doesn't quite prove this to be true. Well, at least not entirely. Interesting as it is frustrating, "Sweet Talker" feels like an oddly familiar melting pot of pop, soul, and R&B (maybe featuring Ariana Grande on the lead single "Bang Bang" wasn't entirely incidental...). However, when compared to Grande's 2014 effort "My Everything", this record somehow manages to seem even less coherent. Though it still offers the same amount of strong songs, they are spread so far apart on the tracking list, it often can be difficult to build up the patience to find them. Nevertheless, the highlights are still worth digging out, such as the 2-Chainz assisted "Burnin Up", or the back-half highlight "Keep Us Together". Then, of course, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj swing by to blast "Bang Bang" into the stratosphere of pop, producing a track so effervescent it outshines the rest of the songs here considerably. Although, the appearance of these middle-brow divas may elevate the song onto higher ground, but whether or not they boost Jessie J's American street cred is to be determined. Seeing as how her previous album "Alive" didn't even see a US release, it's certainly not hard to wonder how much of "Sweet Talker" is ambition, and how much is calculation. The hearty platter of producers and songwriters Jessie has brought in do offer a modernly diverse listening experience, restlessly changing styles and moods every few seconds. That's not to say everything gels --if Ariana Grande threw the kitchen sink with her latest album, Jessie J adds the table, fridge, and stove with it-- but at least it's admirable to see that this record is working very, very hard. Jessie does handstands, backflips, cartwheels while juggling beach balls on a unicycle, which is certainly impressive, yet when combined with her manic, overly-expressive delivery of the songs, it's also flat-out exhausting. "Sweet Talker" isn't terribly long (12 songs and 48 minutes, the standard for 2014 pop records), yet it somehow loses steam before it's even half finished. That's unfortunate for Jessie J, as she constantly tries to find new ways to distinguish her from the rest of the Brit-pop pack, she winds up tacking the backseat in her own records. Obviously, though, her star shines brightest when she lets loose and sings to her heart's content without abandon. Maybe the next time out...
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Ain’t Been Done 2. Burnin’ Up 3. Sweet Talker
4. Bang Bang 5. Fire 6. Personal
7. Masterpiece 8. Seal Me With a Kiss 9. Said Too Much
10. Loud 11. Keep Us Together 12. Get Away
