Jesse McCartney - Departure

The third record to come out from American singer Jesse McCartney is ‘Departure’. The album is rightly named, as it sets McCartney on a new path with a fresh and innovative sound. Combining a little bit of rock, with a little bit of jazz, to a little bit of techno, McCartney creates an almost perfect blend of diverse pop.

1) Leavin’

The album’s lead single and certainly the best Jesse McCartney song to date, ‘Leavin’’ mixes some retro pop with loose beats to create a song that encapsulates a listener and leaves them in awe. With repetitive lyrics and a smooth and simple projection, the song allows the listener to just chillout.

2) It’s Over

The second single from his album, “It’s Over” is a slick R’N’B track that has some unique techno mixed into it. Some soft piano plays across the track and makes me think that this song would fit in perfectly on a Justin Timberlake record. I wouldn’t have picked it as a follow up single, but it grew on me.

3) Rock You (feat. Sean Garrett)

My first thoughts on this song was “What in the world?”. This track is one of the weaker tracks on the record. Not only does McCartney whine like a broken record, but his try at ‘rapping’ is embarrassing. “They call me Jesse baby” and random “Yeows” here and there make me think this song could’ve be cut from the record. Sean Garrett offers some beats here and there, but he is forgettable.

4) How Do You Sleep?

This track is old school Jesse McCartney! A boppy and fun pop song that is perfect for those pool parties on a Sunday afternoon. The repetition of “How do you, how do you sleep?” works because it just flows with the melody. This song is also remixed to feature Ludacris on Jesse’s re-release of “Departure” set for sale in March.

5) Into Ya

This song is another example of a relaxing and laid back song. A slow beat accompanies some polished crooning from McCartney, however questionable the lyrics may be.

6) Makeup

You know those songs that don’t make sense? Yeah. This song is one of them. Some school yard rhymes, mixed with some attempt at sexual innuendos make this track a bit disturbing actually. Plus, one wouldn’t assume a track like this to come from a once clean cut artist like Jesse McCartney, but hey…

7) My Baby

This song is quite catchy and glossy that once again would fit in nicely with artists such as Justin Timberlake or Chris Brown. Jesse’s vocals come off a bit weak though, but you can hear the effort he tries to put into it. A lot of falsettos are in this track, and sometimes that irritates you, but it works nicely for the song.

8) Told You So

Besides “Leavin’”, I think this song is my favourite. Once again it brings back reminders of the “Beautiful Soul” days, where Jesse was just about the pop. Like “Leavin’”, the beat is simplistic, and features some beautiful orchestra work. Even though it reminds me of his past albums, it somehow shows off his maturity and his new edge that works nicely for him. A standout track, and should definitely be a single.

9) Relapse

The start sounds like a UFO landing, which kinda freaked me out at first. A somewhat faster paced track than his other tracks thus far, it’s a good track but not memorable.

10) Runnin’

Jesse’s voice in this track is another letdown, because he can do much better. This track is nothing short of lazy. It’s also a little slow and tedious to listen to; not one of his best.

11) Freaky

This song would fit nicely on a Nelly or Florida record. It’s an energetic track with strong beats that is a score for the dancefloors.

12) Not Your Enemy

I’m torn with this track. It starts off nicely, piano and beats fused together, but then Jesse’s voice kinda wrecks it. I don’t think this song was right for him, because it requires a softer and smoother approach, but Jesse tries to add his signature whines and whinges, which fails this track. But if you ignore his voice, (kinda hard, but try it), the song isn’t half bad.

13) Bleeding Love

Yes, this song is the same song Leona Lewis recorded. Why? Because Jesse wrote it alongside OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder. The differences in this version and Leona’s version is apparent, due to the sex of the singers, but Jesse’s version is very good. Being a fan of Leona’s version, I think Jesse’s version set the bar for hers actually, because his voice works well this track.

Overall, you get a mix of tracks on this record. Some good, some great, and some embarrassing; but a mediocre record in the whole. A nice little window into the many faces of Jesse, which is expected as he is no longer a teenie, but maybe he shouldn’t stray too far from his signature type songs.

7.5/10