I just wanted to share my love. I feel I have to. I’ve ranted and raved about this album to my closest friends, so now to put it on web paper.
This is my new favorite album. Possibly of all time. I’m not exaggerating.
Jully Black has made 3 albums, this being her 3rd. I bought her last one, “Revival” and loved it. I officially became a fan after seeing her sing live, and by sing I mean she didn’t lip sink. Anyone who has to rely on lip sinking doesn’t deserve to be called a singer, but that’s just my humble opinion. I understand when there’s strenuous dancing involved, but for the most part, if you can’t stand still and belt a tune, which is what you get paid for, then get off stage. But I digress…… She’s an amazing singer, she’s beautiful and confident and her voice sometimes give me goosebumps.
When I heard she had another album coming out, I promptly made my way to a store and doled out 15$ for it. This was about 3 weeks ago. After having heard it, I wish I could give her more money for this. Usually you hear a single or two and make a decision to buy an album. It’s become a little less likely now with the age of itunes and downloads. You buy the song you like and to hell with the rest of what the artist had to sing.
I myself have not done much of either. For me to buy a CD, I have to have heard a few songs, either because the album has been out for a while or because I have a friend who has it and let me borrow it. I didn’t do that in this case, and I’m happy I didn’t. I’m a fan, I liked her last album, which has a lot of RnB and danceable tunes, so I figured why not give this one a chance too?
I can’t remember the last time I bought a CD and loved every song. I’ve listened to this album 3 times in a row one day while I was cleaning. I’m listening to it for the second time just this morning while I write this. I’ve listened to the entire thing at least 10 times in the last 3 weeks. I didn’t skip a single song. Usually there’s at least a song or 2 per CD, regardless of how much you love the artist, that just doesn’t speak to you or sound good. Not for me on this one. There’s a perfect mix of songs that are fast, and a couple of slower ones in between. The songs are mostly about love, losing love and rediscovering your own self. There’s one song that uses an acoustic guitar. There’s some electric guitar on here. It’s a mix of RnB and rock, which is perfect for me. I can’t even bring myself to pick a favorite song. I love them all.
I heard her give an interview about how music has become so segregated on radio stations. I agree. Artists can’t sing more than one genre. You’re either a rapper, a pop artist or a country star. Every now and then there’s a crossover song, but mostly, it’s one or the other. I like that she took elements of more than one genre and put it on this album. I don’t get bored of it. My music of choice is RnB and hip hop, however, every now and then it’s nice to get a break and have something a little more rock and roll or a little more fast paced.
I like that I can put this on, enjoy the music AND the lyrics. A lot of music out there is either abstract and metaphorical, or just mindless fluff. Someone actually put thought and feeling in theses songs, and meant for you to understand exactly what they meant to say. Jully actually took part in writing all these songs, and that makes me respect her even more.
Here’s an excerpt from her site, where she talks about her album:
“So is THE BLACK BOOK going to take my fans by surprise? Of course it will. A pleasant surprise that is! It’s Dance, it’s Urban, It’s Rock, it’s DURBAN ROCK! It is 38 minutes of music for the people. At the least, songs like Running will leave you feeling liberated. The Plan will mend your wounded heart. Recalculate will help you let it go and Glass Ceiling will inspire you to accomplish whatever your aspirations may be.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.