With What Are The Odds, her third album, Jorja Smith deepens her relationship with British dance music by relying on the production of P2J. UK garage, 2-step, grime and house become the terrain on which the singer weaves together desire, vulnerability, love and regret
With his third album, “What Are The Odds”Jorja Smith continues and radicalizes her approach to dance music.
His voice crosses with confidence and authority what makes British clubs move today: UK garage, grime, 2-step, funky house, soulful house and afro house.
It’s not just a simple exercise in style: Smith seeks a form of liberation in the rhythm (almost all the tracks on the record travel above 140 bpm), letting himself be carried away by the track without giving up his own identity.
The 29-year-old from Walsall finds a surprisingly natural sonic balance with executive producer P2J. Three intense work sessions produced an album built for the club, but crossed by a less immediate tension: beneath the synthesizers, pulsations and electronic trajectories, the confrontation with emotions remains. Smith brings into dance the contradictions of those who have lived, loved and openly shown their vulnerability.
Over the course of its twelve tracks, Jorja combines this strong physical component with some of the most personal writing of his career. ‘For Life’ talks about what it means to continue to love a friend struggling with addiction, while ‘Pretend’ tackles the theme of betrayal and the title track reflects on growing up in the public eye. ‘This City’ features grime legend Devlin’s classic verse from ‘London City’, which the artist re-recorded for the album, while ‘Alive’ sees Jorja team up with Wizkid. The album also includes ‘What’s Done Is Done’ and ‘I Lied, You Lied’.
Lyrically, “What Are The Odds” connects two ages of the same artist. On the one hand there is the still instinctive approach to love, with the sometimes naive desire to love and be loved; on the other hand, a maturity emerges that allows her to appropriate the younger languages of the track without appearing out of place. Contrast is precisely what gives depth to the record.
“What Are The Odds” shows Smith in a phase of full awareness, as he transforms his emotional state into sound matter without the need to theatricalize it. Inside there is chaos, desire, regret and the armor built during a decade spent in the spotlight. It’s a fascinating album because it doesn’t separate vulnerability from pleasure, confession from the physicality of rhythm. Smith seems to have finally found on the track not an escape from his emotions, but the most natural way to go through them. A mature, free and surprisingly fun album.
SCORE: 7.00
TO LISTEN NOW
For Life – This City (feat. Devlin) – Dancing
TO BE SKIPPED IMMEDIATELY
Nothing! Very enjoyable album…
