The debut EP of Jada definitely doesn't disappoint. Hot off the heals of their hot track "This Party's On Fire," the group definitely kept up with the momentum. It may only be five(ish) tracks long, but it still does a great job at getting people used to what Jada is -- and gets them begging for more.
The EP starts out with it's title track, a quirky up beat tune that is made for getting people out on the dacefloor. The Ke$ha electro-stutter is used heavily in the chorus, making singing along quite hilarious. "Supersonique" is definitely a stand out track among the group.
The true feel of Jada comes in with "Can't Let Go", a less dancey track focusing more on the girls singing talent. These girls all are individually talented, but together they make a chorus that nears angels. The beat is less present, allowing you to really hear the intricate harmonies these girls string together. From the standpoint of an average listener, it can get a bit boring and slows down the feel of things a bit too much.
"This Party's On Fire" was chosen as one as a Song of the Week last year, and I definitely stand by my opinions of the song to this day. The track was a great way to blast Jada back onto the scene, giving the more familiar Jada attitude of being snobby bitches that you can't help but love. A little more amateurish vocally than the rest of the album, this track does feel like it was recorded in a much different stage of the group and shoehorned in for the EP. I love it regardless. I mean any song with a line like "I hope my cleaner comes today/she can make it go away" is pretty awesome in my book.
The best track on the entire extended play has got to be "Mercy Killing." Offering you an alternative view on your typical break up song, this hard driving song definitely had me thrown for a loop. The song combines the best aspects of all the previous songs on "Supersonique", TPOF's attitude, "Can't Let Go"'s vocals and "Supersonique"'s vibe and creates the perfect girl group song. This song wreaks of girl power. Instead of breaking up with you, she's just gonna give the relationship a mercy killing. It's a rather morbid way to look at it all, but I have to admit it's damn clever.
I had a harder time pegging the last true track, "Goodbye." By itself it was an amazing ballad, but it didn't feel exactly like a song you'd expect from the group. I'm still not sure if it's a good thing or not, but it certainly was a nice change from the party bumping songs before it. The song consists of a lot of overlapping lyrics making the subject get a bit clouded. We know you can sing girls, there's no need to over do it all at once. This song will probably grow on me in the future, but for now, it's not my favorite.
The last two tracks on the album are "extended intro" versions of "Mercy Killing" and "This Party's On Fire." The version of "Mercy Killing" was just way too long and drawn out. It sounded like they were trying to remix it at first, only to give up and give way to the original song three minutes in. The extended intro of TPOF, on the other hand, actually was a nice change of pace from the song, the intro actually being one of the best parts musically of the track.
I can't even explain how long I've been waiting for this to be released, and I have to say that I'm not disappointed in any way. I have been following Jada since their first release (and going by the other hot acts in Boston, been contemplating moving). It was awesome to see them have more material released. This is a group that you can't live off of single by single. Glad to have these gals back on the market.
Jada is one of the top girl groups to watch out for, possessing a unique combination of talent and attitude. I wish all the best for them. You can do your part in supporting the re-emergence of girl groups by buying their EP on iTunes.
Thanks for the thorough review GaoSalad! Great to hear your insights on SUPERSONIQUE. Yup, Jada's kept everyone waiting, but I agree that the wait's been worth it.. : )
ReplyDeletesounds amazing! I just added their EP to my playlist and can't wait for more!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great review, GeoSalad. I like reading reviews for albums that talk about each song. I've checked in on your website weekly to read your commentary. You have a great website!
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot you said about the album. I too has been following the Jada girls. I am from the New England area and have seen them perform at various sites in Boston and Rhode Island.
I kind of agree with you on the track, 'Goodbye', but I actually liked this song the best. I was blown away by their voices in this song. I think this is the main reason why I have been waiting so patiently for them to release more songs...they launched a bunch of dance-focused songs (Supersonique, This Party's On Fire, and Mercy Killing), which sound awesome...and they also release an easy listening song in Can't Let Go, which is more about their harmonies and voices and lyrics than the hardcore beat; I can see this song being played in a feel good movie...and they also released a powerful ballad in Goodbye where their vocals are beautiful and stir my emotions listening to it with the subtle piano and violin melodies. I think this is what makes Jada so unique and why I'm excited to see them release more songs...they are a girl group not just releasing dance songs to go clubbing to, or not just releasing sad ballads, etc. They proved with this album they can sing any style of music...and that their focus is just on being singers or being musicians singing any type of song whether its dance, soft, soulful, etc, without putting themselves in a certain category of music. I find that so refreshing compared to other artists out there!!
So although I loved the beats to Supersonique and Mercy Killing (wow the lyrics of Mercy Killing were haunting!), it was so good to hear a song like Goodbye because I was able to enjoy their voices and not just the beat.
All in all I love it and want more!
GeoSalad, again, great review and GREAT website!