By Sherrie Williams, Oct. 4, 2022
Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez released her sophomore album “Yessie” Sept. 16, 2022, following her two-year-old debut album, “Before Love Came to Kill Us.” The album’s sound gives a mix of R&B, Soul and Latin.
Reyez made a prominent entrance into the music industry with her 2017 single, “FIGURES.” The artist’s throaty and raspy vocals and lyricism make her easily recognizable and memorable.
She often collabs with American singer and rapper, 6LACK, like on her 2017 single, “IMPORTED” and one track on her new album, “FOREVER.” The rest of the album is carried by her soft yet striking vocals with well-known producers, Calvin Harris, Pop Wansel and Tim Suby, behind the scenes and creating beats for a few tracks.
The 11-track project begins with “MOOD,” a song with an accompanying sample of “Los Caminos de La Vida” by Los Diabilitos throughout the chorus. “MOOD” is about the ending of a relationship, which Reyez reflects on with lyric “I had a snake in the grass pretending to be my sister (get over it)” and repeating lyrics, “Life ain’t easy.” Repetition puts more of an emphasis on her acknowledging the realization of being used or old friends trying to come back into her life for clout and knowing that it will become easier after time.
The 6LACK collaboration track, “FOREVER,” is the sultry, back and forth love song on the album. Both artists convey a desire and vulnerability to stay with their partners and this is represented with the lyrics, “They could never get between us / said we would never ever leave us” along with the chorus “stay forever.” This one can easily become a fan favorite because of the R&B type beat.
“MUTUAL FRIEND” sounded like her 2017 “FIGURES” with the beginning instrumentals in a higher frequency. The song is exactly as Reyez described her album to be — heartbreaking and raw. Her lyrics in the track call out an ex with no hesitation.
Reyez’s acoustic vocal range comes out in “EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT DEMO.” This song is like a diary and the need to get out her old feelings from the sadness once things ended. Her audience would be able to relate to the track’s personal and vulnerable elements.
Reyez sings in Spanglish in “TITO’S” and “ADIÓS AMOR,” both upbeat tracks about metaphorically seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and moving on.
In a Billboard interview, Reyez described her debut album release as strange because of the lack of promotion and celebration. “Before Love Came to Kill Us” came out in 2020, during peak pandemic times, but she hopes for people to resonate more with this “first real” album launch as she talks more about things she has been, and will be, going through.
“I’ve always made music for myself, and the fact that people resonate with it is just this beautiful, unintended byproduct. It has changed my life,” said Reyez in the Billboard interview.
Feature image courtesy of Lauren Wong
