Jess Glynne - I Cry When I Laugh

 

You have heard British R&B singer Jess Glynne even if you don't know it. Her song "Rather Be" in collaboration with Clean Bandit was basically inescapable. It blanketed every radio station and internet stream for months and had remix after remix made of it. Well now she is ready to release her debut album I Cry When I Laugh a collection of R&B tracks that for the most part are straight forward. Therein however lies the issue; Glynne really doesn't add of take away anything from the R&B world. Her tracks are completely predicable and despite a few standouts ("Hold My Hand", "Ain't Got Far to Go", "Rather Be") are quite boring. She is not trying to reinvent anything here and it is a shame because her sultry voice deserves better. The producers on the album are as varied as the sounds that they bring to the table, but the through line of classic R&B piano sound really boxes her in. When "Rather Be" finally comes up on this long album you are relieved to her a up against a more modern sound. Clearly there are string pullers trying to force her into a box of Pop R&B super-stardom but it is a mold, despite her look, she is not meant for. 

You are left wanting so much more from this record, someone to shake her and lead her down a more interesting path, but it just never happens. The ballads are where she really struggles the most. "Saddest Vanilla" is almost a joke to be named that. The song itself is so vanilla that the fact that it was even included on this record boggles the mind. I'm not sure how many songs about ice cream have been number 1 hits since 1950 but I bet it is not many. Even hearing this record you can tell Glynne is bored with the direction it takes, it seems like she is just getting this over with so she can move on. But, I may be wrong and this is the path she wants to take. If it is we can expect more vanilla from her, but hopefully that is not the case. 

5 out of 10