Departure [ENHANCED]

Jesse McCartney

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2008)
• Original Release Date: May 20, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B001690X6U
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,159 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"The record is called Departure for a number of reasons," says Jesse McCartney, whose multi-platinum 2004 debut album Beautiful Soul launched his career as an international singing star. "There have been departures in my career, in my personal life. I've learned a lot since doing my first couple of records. I think I've landed in the most comfortable place I've ever been musically as the style of music, my vocals and the lyrical content of the songs on this album. I co-wrote several songs on the new album, and learned a lot from the producers I worked with. In the process of writing for my own project, I wound up writing "Bleeding Love" with Ryan Tedder for Leona Lewis. Departure has a little more of mature sound than what my fans previously heard from me but this is the road that I'm on right now and it's the road that I believe they'll join with me!" With star writers and hit making producers such as Sean Garrett (Usher, Mary J. Blige, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Pussycat Dolls, Chris Brown), Tricky & The-Dream (Rihanna, Mariah Carey), J.R. Rotem (Britney Spears, Sean Kingston, 50 Cent, Rihanna) and The Clutch (Omarion, Timbaland, Ciara, Bobby Valentino), Departure has an edgier pop/urban sound than Beautiful Soul and Jesse's sophomore album, 2006's Right Where You Want Me reflecting Jesse's growth as a songwriter and young man. "When it was time to do my third album, I wanted people to see another side of me. I wanted the record to have a little retro hint sonically but with a my own contemporary feel - I listened to the music of Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince a lot before we started the album. I knew I had to present myself in a fresh way so I was open to other people's ideas and suggestions, especially since I was working with such great writers and producers." As the co-writer of many of the album's songs, Jesse chose to share the experiences he's had since Beautiful Soul made him a household name throughout the U.S. and in a dozen or more countries, from Italy to Japan. "I recorded my first solo album when I was 16. A lot has happened since then and this new album reflects my experiences growing up over the past couple of years and various stages of family and personal relationships. I bought my first home. I've been fortunate enough to tour all over the world which meant being away from my family and friends for very lengthy times. I've experienced all the ups and downs of relationships people my age go through. That's why I think fans who've grown up with me will relate to the songs on Departure, many of which do have an autobiographical feel."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly mature music - a true departure from his earlier offerings, and he nails it , May 28, 2008

By	T. Burger (Chicago) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wow., May 27, 2008

By	Kevin Wethington (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Never heard of him, but I like this album, May 26, 2008

By	Shamontiel L. Vaughn "Web Editor, Author, Rev... (Chicago) - See all my reviews

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.