By Odeisel

Every few years, we get an album by an R&B female that smacks of passion, grit and realism. The music is good enough to support lyrics that resonate that part of our lives we all have in common, but hide from those around us. Mary J. Blige and Teedra Moses are two recent women whose bend, never break tales of survival stormed into our lives. Jazmine Sullivan’s album Love Me Back, a story of resilience, actualization and awareness echoes that same realism.

The album opens very Mary-esque with “Holding You Down (Going In Circles)” over a very 90’s “Impeach the President” drum and the opening words from Blige’s “Be Happy.” The throwback mixtape feel of the track finds Sullivan lamenting her role in feeding the monster that became her broken relationship by returning to something unfixable. A teeter-tottering piano and string-driven tumult form the foundation of “10 Seconds” finds the singer at her breaking point, finally fed up with her man’s lies. The slow burns produces a simmering drama and Sullivan gives just enough vocally without over singing.

“Love Me Back” finds herself realizing the gravity of her situation; she realizes that no matter what she does, it’s never going to be enough for her paramour. The motion builds to a rolling crescendo to the breaks releases and settles back to a rhythm for the body of the verse.  80’s Minneapolis funk is infused in the DNA of “Don’t Make Me Wait,” complete with references to Vanity 6. The vocal arrangement is similar to Prince in construction and feel, if not tone and precision. The track rescues the album from too much emotional turmoil, with a burst of fun and nostalgia.

The energy stays high on the club friendly “Love You Long Time” with keyboard synth and snare drums. Sullivan’s vocals are powerful-yet restrained, not trying to prove a point over already-loud music. She’s willing to give her all for love as long as he shows that love back; a departure from the despair that colored the first part of the album. “Redemption” features Sullivan in MC mode, rapping over a piano backed by somber strings and a thumping drum/snare, telling tales of desperate drug addiction and domestic violence. Her vocal run to close out the song is both soulful and moving with well-arranged background vocals.

A fluid bass and Faith Evans-like background vocal arrangements hover over “Excuse Me.” The soulful, mid-tempo ballad finds Sullivan blanketed by the fullness of a giving love, awash in happiness and thankfulness. In a room straight from left feel, Sullivan actually gives the fellas a voice in after-breakup expression (via Ne-Yo) on the duet “You Get On My Nerves.”  Ne-Yo refers to her tempestuous nature and her window busting ways. From her perspective, she was done with him when she busted the window and she thinks he called her just to hear her voice instead of to get his stuff back. Her ass is in denial too, but that’s another story.

“Stuttering,” with its descending scale piano and its stu-stu-stuttering device captures the tepidity involved when you’re crushing on someone and you don’t want to stick your foot in your mouth with something dumb. Jazmine employs a variety of vocal devises to weave around the soft but poignant musical backdrop. Audience claps pave the way for added thump while Sullivan chronicles the nightmare of dreams unfulfilled and the burning desire to be somebody on “Famous.” There are fluffy airy strings that contrast the claps and thump rounding out a minimalist track.

The piano plunking dance hall infused “Luv Back” closes the album with Jazmine wanting her love back from a guy that didn’t deserve it. The Rasta imposter on the hook is annoying and it’s the wrong note to close out the album but it’s not a bad song.

Sullivan’s range of emotion and vocal dexterity combine to form a very strong album that will resonate with her generation. Love Me Back is not a man-hating album, but an honest one that gives a look at love and loss without melodrama. Well done.

Jazmine Sullivan-“Holding You Down (Going In Circles)”

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Out of 5

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