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Kid talent show discovery JoJo's self-titled Blackground Records, Da Family-affiliated debut is a slick set of modern R&B in the vein of Brandy or Monica, with plenty of room to introduce its star's bigger-than-you'd-think presence. A bank of producers -- Vincent Herbert, Soulshock, Bink -- provide backgrounds that bump decidedly in the midrange -- there's a conscious effort to keep the focus on JoJo, and not whatever beats are currently making the grade. In other words, her vocals never sound detached from the goings-on behind her, or just a voice chattering over R&B generica. And this is promising, as the young singer really does have a tremendous voice. "Breezy" and "Homeboy" multi-track her trills, sulky whispers, and brassy wails over clicky percussion and a mixture of loops and instrumental snippets. Throughout there's talk of sheezies, throwbacks in the mix, cell phones, and the boy next door jilting poor JoJo. But even if the lyrics throughout are pretty interchangeable, vocally there's no doubt in her ability to carry the album, and the lack of irritating skits or attention-hogging guest shots is pretty refreshing. The funky jook of the Reggie and Ronald Burrell production "City Lights" features a few random "JoJo do that thing" drop-ins, but the girl gets right to the bottom of that freaky Beyoncé id, and aligns the cut with fellow standout "Not That Kinda Girl." Lead single "Leave (Get Out)" doesn't have a lot of staying power, but its guitar figure is a nice touch, and the chorus hits with the right amount of tell-off brashness. There's also a serviceable update of the 1992 SWV hit "Weak," the stripped-down strut of "Yes or No" (is that real beat boxing?), and the requisite ballad in "Never Say Goodbye." All in all, JoJo is a strong debut. Its centerpiece is never smothered with collabo pile-ons, and she's served well by the mix of arrangements and backgrounds. She's definitely courting middle-lane accessibility, but she rightly lets her singing do the talking, and that's a signal of where she's headed.
© Johnny Loftus /TiVo
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Balewa Muhammad, ComposerLyricist - Sylvester Jordan Jr., ComposerLyricist - Kwamé Holland, ComposerLyricist - Roland Chambers, ComposerLyricist - Kenny Gamble, ComposerLyricist - THOM BELL, ComposerLyricist - Kwame, Producer - Jojo, MainArtist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Eric Dawkins, ComposerLyricist - Damon Thomas, ComposerLyricist - Antonio Dixon, ComposerLyricist - Harvey Mason Jr., ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist - Klynik, Producer - Kwame K1 Mill, Producer
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Neely Dinkins, ComposerLyricist - Sylvester Jordan Jr., ComposerLyricist - The Co-stars, Producer - Jojo, MainArtist - Balewa Jordan, Producer - B.Cola Pietro, ComposerLyricist - Muhammad Jordan, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Mike City, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Vincent Herbert, ComposerLyricist - B. Muhammad, ComposerLyricist - Roosevelt Harrell, ComposerLyricist - Sylvester Jordan Jr., ComposerLyricist - Bink, Producer - Mark Barkan, ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist - Ritchie Adams, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Stephen Garrett, ComposerLyricist - Vincent Herbert, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Reggie Burrell, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist - Ronald Burrell, Producer, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
SoulShock, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Kenneth Karlin, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Alex Cantrell, ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist - Phillip Silky White, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Bernard Jackson, ComposerLyricist - David Townsend, ComposerLyricist - David Conley, ComposerLyricist - Stephen Garrett, ComposerLyricist - Vincent Herbert, Producer - Jojo, MainArtist - Reggie Burell, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Ronald Burell, Producer, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
D. Thomas, ComposerLyricist - E. Dawkins, ComposerLyricist - A. Dixon, ComposerLyricist - The Underdogs, Producer - Jojo, MainArtist - Mason Thomas Jr., ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Herbert, Producer - DEXTER SIMMONS, Producer - Jojo, MainArtist - Brian Morgan, Producer, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Jojo, MainArtist - G.P., Producer - Joanna Levesque, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Young Freak, Producer
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Vincent Herbert, ComposerLyricist - Herbert, Producer - Jojo, MainArtist - Joanna Levesque, ComposerLyricist - Tre' Black, Producer - Tremaine Saunders, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Vincent Herbert, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Reggie Burrell, ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist - Joanna Levesque, ComposerLyricist - Ronald Burrell, ComposerLyricist - Tre' Black, Producer - Tremaine Saunders, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Vincent Herbert, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Nastacia Kendall, ComposerLyricist - Jojo, MainArtist - Tre' Black, Producer - Tremaine Saunders, ComposerLyricist
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
Album review
Kid talent show discovery JoJo's self-titled Blackground Records, Da Family-affiliated debut is a slick set of modern R&B in the vein of Brandy or Monica, with plenty of room to introduce its star's bigger-than-you'd-think presence. A bank of producers -- Vincent Herbert, Soulshock, Bink -- provide backgrounds that bump decidedly in the midrange -- there's a conscious effort to keep the focus on JoJo, and not whatever beats are currently making the grade. In other words, her vocals never sound detached from the goings-on behind her, or just a voice chattering over R&B generica. And this is promising, as the young singer really does have a tremendous voice. "Breezy" and "Homeboy" multi-track her trills, sulky whispers, and brassy wails over clicky percussion and a mixture of loops and instrumental snippets. Throughout there's talk of sheezies, throwbacks in the mix, cell phones, and the boy next door jilting poor JoJo. But even if the lyrics throughout are pretty interchangeable, vocally there's no doubt in her ability to carry the album, and the lack of irritating skits or attention-hogging guest shots is pretty refreshing. The funky jook of the Reggie and Ronald Burrell production "City Lights" features a few random "JoJo do that thing" drop-ins, but the girl gets right to the bottom of that freaky Beyoncé id, and aligns the cut with fellow standout "Not That Kinda Girl." Lead single "Leave (Get Out)" doesn't have a lot of staying power, but its guitar figure is a nice touch, and the chorus hits with the right amount of tell-off brashness. There's also a serviceable update of the 1992 SWV hit "Weak," the stripped-down strut of "Yes or No" (is that real beat boxing?), and the requisite ballad in "Never Say Goodbye." All in all, JoJo is a strong debut. Its centerpiece is never smothered with collabo pile-ons, and she's served well by the mix of arrangements and backgrounds. She's definitely courting middle-lane accessibility, but she rightly lets her singing do the talking, and that's a signal of where she's headed.
© Johnny Loftus /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 00:52:08
- Main artists: JoJo
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Blackground Records, LLC
- Genre: Soul/Funk/R&B R&B
2004 Blackground Records, LLC 2004 Blackground Records, LLC
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