Jessie James

Jessie James | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 10, 2009
• Release Date: August 10, 2009
• Label: Mercury Records
• Copyright: (C) 2009 The Island Def Jam Music Group
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 42:40
• Genres:
• ASIN: B002JLVV8S
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,565 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lighten up, this album is a lot of fun., August 10, 2009

By 

Ruby - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Jessie James (MP3 Download)

If you are considering purchasing this album (for the formidable price of...$1.99), I would go right ahead. All of Jessie's songs are well done and her voice is just fine and dandy. As I was listening to the album all the way through, I found myself singing along, bopping around in my chair and occasionally laughing out loud, not in derision, but in delight at the humor and general fun of some of the songs lyrics. The tunes are catchy and Jessie's singing is just as good or better, in spots, than a lot of the other young women topping the charts. So, perhaps the nay-sayers will give her another listen, with the mind set that she's here to entertain us, not to change our lives and save our souls.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning first effort--answering the critics., August 10, 2009

By 

Alex in Texas "Alex" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jessie James (Audio CD)

An extraordinary premiere effort by a musical talent who could make it as either a songwriter, or a singer...but gives us the gift, in her eponymous debut, of both. Jessie James possesses remarkable emotional insight for someone so young, a deft manner with both lyrics and melody, and a deliciously rich voice to communicate it all. And, as a couple of the women in my life have observed (when chuckling at me for being enthralled with her music), she's pretty freakin' hot. Obviously, her beauty has nothing whatsoever to do with her music...but it doesn't hurt a thing.

Other reviewers criticize the album as not having a defined "theme." I disagree. The theme, with a couple of alternately playful and earnest self-conscious exceptions (Blue Jeans, and Girl Next Door respectively), represents the range of the young romantic experience. It covers the evolution of the relationship from beginning to end, with some arguably seamy, but emotionally resonant, sidetrips. We start with two fun but self-assertive anthems to what the modern woman seeks--what we would all hope our sisters and daughters find--in My Cowboy and Big Mouth. She gives us two portraits of the burning compulsion of newfound desire, whether lustier in nature (Wanted), or somewhat more idealized (Inevitable, which is also one of the "sidetrip" songs). It proceeds through a thoughtful retrospective on something that was either a pre-empted romance, or might have started, but been ended before it got too serious (Burnin' Bridges). Illicit romance, as pining true love (Inevitable) or something less noble (Guilty). We see permutations of the end of love, both as the one ending things (Burn It Up), and as the one surviving, and flourishing, despite heartbreak (I Look So Good Without You). On the fringes, she shows us the girl who's commitment-phobic (but eventually "broken") in Bullet...another brilliantly fun, energetic pop treat, apparently co-penned with Katy Perry, and slated, at one point, to be her second single. It reverberates with the same pointed post-feminist sensibility as My Cowboy and Big Mouth, but shows glimpses of the reluctant emotional vulnerability of the girl wanting true love. On the other side of that spectrum, there's the girl who's anything but phobic (about commitment): the Psycho Girlfriend. Again, a fun song, without being shallow. We've all known such girls, and would have done better to avoid them...but, as she explains, might have missed out on the best we've ever had.

With the exceptions of a couple of songs, both of them engagingly listenable, they're all of a piece. While I might have ordered them differently, if I wanted to emphasize the evolution of love, I don't see anything out of place. Perfectly in keeping with the theme, and a shame in having been omitted, is her "Liar," another frustrated-love song. Like most of her work, it's melodic, well-written, and emotionally nuanced. (I believe it's available on her myspace page.)

As to those who talk about the album being unmemorable, I submit that the songs are as well-written as Taylor Swift's, cover a much broader emotional spectrum (I like Taylor Swift as a songwriter, but she limits herself to a pretty narrow niche), and much better sung. Billboard refers to Jessie as a hybrid of Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, and Christina Aguilera. They're right. She has a remarkable voice, although she's sometimes a little heavy-handed on the "country" style in the more pop songs. (Doesn't bother me a bit, but I can see how some would prefer that it be toned down.) That's the price of doing an album with such a broad spectrum of influences, with country, pop, blues, southern rock...overall, a delicious mix.

Look for another couple omissions on the next album, I hope: School Girl, and Turn His Love on Me...or something like that. They both showcase her vocal power, and display more of the varied influences informing her style. And they, too, are love songs.

Order it. Enjoy it. Don't feel guilty about it...or do! Revel guiltily in it, as your Rachmaninoff or Mozart languishes unplayed for days at a time. Beware, though...it grows on you.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprise...., August 13, 2009

By 

Cory M. Maxwell "Tulmax" (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jessie James (MP3 Download)

Wow...what can I say?..I'm a dance and techno freak so the twang wasn't exactly what i was listening for, but it's not that bad. Sure a little slide guitar and blues guitar was a given, but I do like the album. It's words are funny and the tunes are catchy. I first heard of her music with the song "dangerous" and turned some of the dance crowd on to it..and they liked it!...so yeah its definitely worth the $1.99. Although my hardcore dance friends blow if off as pop, It'll be my secret guilty pleasure.