Customer Reviews

Departure

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I absolutely loved this CD, and I shouldn't have, for reasons that should become obvious.

The CD is aptly named, as Jesse McCartney makes an unquestionable departure from his earlier offerings, and distances himself--perhaps permanently?--from the bubble gum world of Disney. (That's almost always a good thing, artistically.)

I didn't expect to like this CD. My only exposure to Jesse McCartney was "Beautiful Soul", a song I happened upon recently, and enjoyed immensely. I was surprised when I downloaded "Leavin'", and liked it, as it had a distinct hip-hop flavor (although still subtly infused with pop), and I've never been a fan of hip-hop. Perhaps I'm getting too old. My grandparents thought Elvis Presley was the devil, I thought he was the King of Rock and Roll, so...I don't know. After hearing "Leavin'" a few times, I liked it, a lot. Then I did something I knew I shouldn't: I looked up the lyrics.

I'm hard of hearing, so lyrics aren't always a big part of a song for me. I hear the music first, and discern the lyrics later, if ever. The lyrics to "Leavin'" were-- peculiar. Perhaps it's an age thing again, but much of the lyrics were incomprehensible to me. And that's when I had a copy of them to read along with the music.

(Before I go here, remember that I'm giving the CD a 5-star review...)

"Hey baby girl, I've been watching you all day (all day x3)
Man that thing you got behind you is amazing (amazing x3)
You make me want to take you out and let it rain (let it rain x3)
I know you got a man but this is what you should say"

So, if I understand this correctly, the girl has a great, *cough*, rear-end, and that makes him want to take her out and "let it rain". I get the great rear-end part, but "let it rain"? I have no clue.

*Sigh*

When I was a teen, I swore I would never outgrow music as my parents had done. I would be one of those cool DJs who, at 65, were spinning today's records on AM stations (this was the early 80s), and liking what they heard. That hasn't happened.

But it did happen *here*. Other parts of the CD are much more hip-hop than "Leavin'", and I liked some of them better. All of the songs are strong, and if it were my choice, I'd have had a difficult time picking the first single. And Jesse's voice is terrific all the way through. On earlier offerings, it's sounded strained in places. He's obviously put some work in, vocally.

This is a 5-star review from someone who really shouldn't have liked the CD. I doubt anyone reading these reviews will be anything other than "JesseMac" fans, but for the odd chance that you're reading this and you hate "JesseMac", and you hate hip-hop, and for some reason you're wondering whether to give this a listen, I say YES. Give it a listen. It's incredibly mature music (note that I said music, and not lyrics--that's not age; I'm a writer, and things need to make sense, even lyrics to hip-hop songs).

Some have said that he's a sell-out for changing his style. Maybe he is. I would argue, however, that he isn't. He's 21 years old, so it's impossible for him to have cemented a style. Moreover, this is the first CD that he's had as much of a hand in writing and producing. He certainly sounds likes he's having fun. Who's to judge?

Also, btw - KUDOS to him for not having a Zac Efron look-alike "emo" haircut. Every "tween" looks exactly the same these days, because they have the same hairstyle. (This, of course, has nothing to do with his music. Still. Nice to see that he's taking risks.)

When I first heard "Leavin" about two months ago, I was like "wow", Jesse McCartney is going for a hip hop sound which I didn't mind because I love hip hop. I really like a lot of the songs on his album. He's really grown as a singer and an artist. His lyrics mean a lot more but I also think that some of the tracks were just thrown together without a lot of planning. I despise the song "Rock You". It really degrades him as a vocalist. It's very annoying. I'm not a big fan of "Makeup" either. But that's just me. I like his slower songs. It's a good CD and I think it's worth the buy but it would be a lot better without the two songs above.

Jesse McCartney's latest album Departure is exactly what the title depicts. This new and improved sound from McCartney is a welcomed change from his previous Disney infused music. Don't get me wrong, his earlier albums and songs had an appeal, but Departure blows his previous LP's out of the water.

First on the album is the upbeat and catchy jam "Leavin'", which was the first single off Departure. America has positively responded to the more R&B infused sound "Leavin'" brings to the table, making it the number one song of Summer 2008 with five consecutive weeks atop the Mediabase Top 40 Charts and Radio.

Next up is "It's Over", the second single from McCartney on this LP. "It's Over" is a fan favorite and a song you will often find you have on repeat on your iPod or singing along to loudly in the car. This song's addictive beat and emotionally distinctive lyrics make it one of the stand out songs on the album.

Some other favorites on the album include the happy-go-lucky "How Do You Sleep?" that you can't help but bust a move to, as well as the sultry track "Told You So" that engages your full attention. The R&B beats from "My Baby" and "Relapse" won't disappoint either. They have great dance appeal to them that will get you up off you feet and onto the dance floor. "Runnin'" is another track that harnesses the "it" factor listeners are demanding. Its smooth flow and rhythmic tones are aiming to please.

Overall you can't go wrong with owning this album. There are numerous songs on Departure that everyone can relate to and enjoy, girls and guys. Departure is exactly as it reads and McCartney's new and more mature sound is a huge leap in the right direction.

This is the Japanese version of Jesse McCartney's third studio album, Departure. I purchased this edition knowing that it would come in a proper CD jewel case with a lyric book, rather than the environmentally correct eco-package that the North American version is released in.

Departure is quite a change in direction from Jesse's last studio album, 2006's "Right Where You Want Me." Moving away from the rock-lite direction he'd moved into after his "Beautiful Soul" album and into a more Pop/R&B direction akin to Justin Timberlake.

The result is good, I didn't like "Right Where You Want Me" as much as I liked "Beautiful Soul," his 2004 debut solo record. The opening track "Leavin'" makes me want to drag myself to the dance floor for a slow groove and doesn't stray much further from the dance floor after that.

The highlight, for me, of the Japanese edition is his cover (even though he did write it, and presumably made a demo of the track) of "Bleeding Love." "Bleeding Love" was a massive worldwide #1 single for X-Factor winner Leona Lewis, and Jesse doesn't try to compete with Leona's powerful version. Instead, his version is stripped down, and highlights Jesse's voice, which sometimes gets lost in the production of some of the other tracks on this album.

This is the track list for the Japanese version of "Departure":

01. Leavin'
02. It's Over
03. Rock You [Feat. Sean Garrett]
04. How Do You Sleep
05. Into Ya
06. Make Up
07. My Baby
08. Told You So
09. Relapse
10. Runnin'
11. Freaky
12. Not Your Enemy
13. Oxygen [Japanese Bonus Track]
14. Bleeding Love [Japanese Bonus Track]
15. Leavin' (The Bimbo Remix Edit) [Japanese Bonus Track]
16. Leavin' (JFK MSTRKRFT Remix) [Japanese Bonus Track]

I always check for new music Mondays to see who is releasing what, but I didn't see anybody I knew so I got ready to close the website when the beat to "Leavin" dropped. I immediately started playing the full album, and I'm digging this guy's voice, melody, and the beats. From reading the other reviews, apparently this is very new for him. I don't know what audience he's trying to reach, but I can easily see songs from this album getting some radio play on R&B and Pop stations. He may not want to be compared to other artists, but Jesse's voice reminds me slightly of Justin Timberlake's due to subject matter and chorus lines. However, it's more happy than Timberlake, and I get more pop than R&B (think Donnie from "Making the Band 4"). I just bought this album in case I don't hear it on my favorite radio stations. "Not Your Enemy" is a song I can learn from unfortunately, but "Leavin" is probably my favorite track although all of them are really good.

Note: To the reviewers who are saying this album is Rap or Hip Hop, minus "Rock You," which absolutely reminds me of Justin Timberlake, nothing on this album has rapping on it. It's definitely R&B and pop though.

Remember the kid with the floppy blonde hair that was the teen heart-throb of the moment a few years back with the release of Beautiful Soul? Yes, Jesse McCartney is back with his third album called Departure.

There's no doubt that the guy can sing but the album does nothing to prove that he'll have any longevity in today's music scene. The title is deceptive. There's no departure here - there's nothing on offer that can't be generated by every other act today, there's no departure from the flash in the pan appearance of his debut release and there's certainly no departure from blending in with what's currently getting airplay.

He does try his hardest though. He even tries some pop/hip-hop stylings with Rock You featuring Sean Garrett, who has written for everyone who is anyone and has produced more than a few of the tracks. It's a bit bland and it will disappear from your memory before the next song is half over. He does, however, do a better than expected version of Bleeding Love which was penned by himself and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic fame. His attempt has honesty that you can't find on any of the other tracks on the album. Sadly though, next to Leona Lewis, his version pales in comparison.

Overall, the album is full of the fluff and disposable radio fodder with nothing that will make you want to hit the back button. It's great background music if you're having a lazy afternoon with friends. It's simple, it doesn't require thought and if you have teenage sisters, it'll make a great gift - they'll swoon over it. My sisters love me now.

I did not expect to like this cd but was really surprised with Jesse's voice and the maturity of the songs. "Makeup" and "Freaky" are pretty much teen fillers which I always skip. On the other hand, "My Baby" "Leaving" and "Relapse" will have you dancing in your car, while his vocals shine in the emotional "It's Over" and "Not your Enemy". Would I buy the new 'Reloaded' edition? Probably not... but that doesn't mean I haven't given the cd some heavy rotation.

Just a phenomenal album - Jesse's growing up and, like any artist nay any person evolving. Let's look at the past year - Co-wrote Bleeding Love which was a humungous hit - released his own Leavin' (also humungous), put out It's Over which is as gorgeous a description of things falling apart/heartbreak as I've heard lately (with an awesome video), finally got to How Do You Sleep (my favorite song on the album). Let's face it, most people fail when they try to grow up in public and this guy's doing it right in front of us all. He deserves mad props and this album STILL can't get pulled out of my rotation no matter how hard I try.

In 2004 17 year old Jesse McCartney's debut album Beautiful Soul went platinum. Then he dropped off the radar. Yes, he put out a 2nd album but no one bought it and his record label put him on the back burner. 2008 rolls around and his single Leavin' takes over the charts reintroducing a now very grown-up 21 year old McCartney. In 2004, critics asked if Jesse would become the new Justin Timberlake. Well, the answer is no. He actually sings R&B based music better than JT because his voice is much smoother. He's not the new JT, he's the new Jesse and Departure is his best, most innnovative, most creative album to date. His songs just aren't words that tell a story, the lyrics are very, very well written. Jesse's "departure" from boy band influenced pop was a good one.

I instantly became a fan of Jesse's evolution after hearing Leavin' on the radio because I hated the teeny-bopper pop music I normally associated him with. I thought this album had so much potential but after hearing the other songs, they were either a hit or miss for me. I think his slower songs like Leavin', It's Over, and Told You So are awesome and are appropriate for his voice. His attempt at the fast hip hop songs on the other hand were a risk he should have avoided. His attempt to sing high like Justin Timberlake sounded too forced like in Not Your Enemy. Also, in some of the songs the lyrics paired with the music sound awkward.

I like this new direction and look he's going for, but I wish all the songs on the album had a good blend of pop and R&B in it like Leavin' to make the album as a whole more consistent. There's no medium on this album. I either love the song or can't stand it.