Jazmine Sullivan: Fearless

Talk about a great year for R&B. 2008 has been bombarded with tremendous releases from the rhythm and blues genre (Saadiq, Thicke, Ne-Yo) and the young Miss Jazmine Sullivan contributes to the stellar year with her debut LP, Fearless. Mentored by Missy Elliott, backed by production from Salaam Remi and praised by every critic possible, Jazmine unleashes dynamic vocals with infinite range and soul connected to some of the most mature song writing from someone who just turned the barely legal age of 21. Despite her age, Jazmine bodies each track she is on and leads us to believe that the sky’s the limit for the songstress. Fearless certainly works on many levels and it is further strengthened with the lyrical content dedicated to the album’s name.

“Bust Your Windows” is a testament to being fearless, as Jazmine uses her crowbar to break glass while her vocal chords indulge eardrums everywhere. She sounds an awful like Lauryn Hill on “Need U Bad,” but still delivers one hell of a performance on the reggae-vibe single. StarGate production continues their hot streak with “Like a Hurricane,” a track that allows Jazmine to sink her teeth into some seriously emotional content. The emotion leaks out of the pen on similar tracks “In Love with another Man” and “Call Me Guilty.”

The beauty of “Lions, Tigers, and Bears” is in the maturity of Jazmine‘s songwriting. While the title may lead to a cheesy first impression, the result is a huge surprise of a story of the one thing she may be afraid of, her love for another. “I’m not scared of lions and tigers and bears/ but I’m scared of loving you” is immaculately powerful when sung by the Philly native, while Salaam perfectly produces the track to create an eerie and adventurous backdrop.

The poignant theme of “Lions…” is common throughout the rest of the album. The production is solid through and through and the vocal arrangements tied in with the lyrical content and timing is perfect. Some may or may not like the refurbished “Liquid Swords” beat that is on “My Foolish Heart” or the silly and a little too fun “Switch” because of its ambition to appeal to a pop variety more than a strictly soul audience. For what it is though, Fearless is a great piece of work with minimal flaws and plenty of replay value. Don’t be so scared and listen to it the next chance you get.

Overall Score: 85/100

Stand Out Tracks:

“Need U Bad”

“Lions, Tigers, and Bears”

“After the Hurricane”