Altogether, the contributions of long-term Sullivan associates like Harmony, Salaam Remi, and Ant Bell, along with those from Key Wane and JoeLogic & Dilemma, give the album a relatively contemporary feel. Just as potent and lasting as Fearless and Love Me Back, Reality Show completes one of the most impressive first-three-album runs.
Sullivan, better than singers and songwriters in almost any genre, creates worlds where relationships take on more complex dynamics, but are immediate in their effect.
With Reality Show, Sullivan delivers an R&B album that feels like how R&B used to sound circa late 90's/early 2000 while still coming off as forward-looking.
Some trendy lite disco and uplifting, singalong hooks give her voice more to compete with and play up the universality of experience, but Sullivan sounds better the more specific she gets.
Reality Show is neck-in-neck [with Love Me Back] in terms of quality, but Sullivan’s latest feels a lot more current—which should make it easier for the public to relate to.
There has not been a better first trio of albums from an R&B singer in recent times. This is different from Fearless and Love Me Back,There has not been a better first trio of albums from an R&B singer in recent times. This is different from Fearless and Love Me Back, however. It's quicker, slicker, more explicit and much more contemporary RnB, compared to the variety her previous albums brought. The beats are hard, thumping and frequently modern, with her trademark emotional, strained wail surprisingly used incredibly sparingly.
You'd expect this to be a negative, especially as no one ever makes a great R&B/Soul album that doesn't either heavily throw back to the old days or is some kind of atmospheric hipster/alternative **** but the result is her most cohesive album to date. Although there are few classics on the stratospheric level of the likes of "Redemption" and "In Love With...", there average level of tracks is quite astounding and it's incredibly difficult to not listen from cover to cover every time.
Another of her trademarks is her ability to incorporate vivid and intricate storytelling into her writing. She tended to use that device on only a handful of songs on both albums, but in Reality Show it is the main device. The majority of songs paint drastically different characters and case studies quite clearly not her personal voice but certainly with her message.
The variety of her writing is incredible, as is her ability to manipulate her vocal chords and enunciation from song to song to make her voice sound drastically different from song to song.with each character. One moment her voice is light and airy, the next it's so heavy and deep that the sound is androgynous, or it has a kind of jazzy twang, or else it's her usual deep, rich and raspy sound. Not a single vocalist uses their voice as an instrument quite in the way that Jazmine Sullivan does.
I only intended to write a few sentences, but I could go on for much longer than this. Essentially, this is an incredible album from, in my view, someone who has now made it clear that she is the very best R&B artist in the world since her debut in 2008. In the end, the half-decade wait for "Reality Show" was well worth it, but we can only hope the wait for #4 isn't nearly as desperate.…Expand
I'm absolutely obsessed with this album. Truly a masterpiece. Jazmine is such a talented individual with great songwriting skills. Hats off toI'm absolutely obsessed with this album. Truly a masterpiece. Jazmine is such a talented individual with great songwriting skills. Hats off to her! I listen to this album almost every day.…Expand
If you are an R&B/Soul fan this album is for you! It's fresh, pure and well produced R&B, Jazmine velvet voice is delightful and to top it offIf you are an R&B/Soul fan this album is for you! It's fresh, pure and well produced R&B, Jazmine velvet voice is delightful and to top it off she's a very good songwriter, her lyrics are strong.…Expand
Coming back to this in light of Heaux Tales (as someone who hadn't really heard any of her songs aside from Bust Your Windows and Insecure upComing back to this in light of Heaux Tales (as someone who hadn't really heard any of her songs aside from Bust Your Windows and Insecure up to that point), I'm cursing myself for the joy I denied myself by skipping her discography for this long.
This album is nearly perfect, and Mascara is one of the greatest songs ever written. Like a more layered, less showy Super Rich Kids, letting listeners bring their own preconceptions to the table and play off them. It's a nuanced and subtle song that uses every single part of the music to strengthen her message. The tragic cadence of the chorus melody and outro, the repetition, the use of contrasting song structure. Oh my god? What is wrong with her. It's not normal. And that's not even mentioning her immediately evident vocal talent, which I don't think I need to describe. I geuninely can't deal.
Favourite tracks: Mascara, Brand New, Let It Burn, Forever Don't Last
Least favourite: Masterpiece (Mona Lisa) but like only by a little bit…Expand
Pretty and powerful! This is how the album looks like. Jazmine's voice is so beautiful and all songs sound so vivid. The way it sound a littlePretty and powerful! This is how the album looks like. Jazmine's voice is so beautiful and all songs sound so vivid. The way it sound a little alternative for R&B/Soul is so pure and unique. She's really amazing like a woman, a singer and a human soul.…Expand
Jazmine's "Reality Show" is a proof that once again the r'n'b/soul genre is stronger than ever these days. Swagger mode: ON. Read the wholeJazmine's "Reality Show" is a proof that once again the r'n'b/soul genre is stronger than ever these days. Swagger mode: ON. Read the whole review here: http://www.anartcalled.blogspot.gr/2015/01/jazmine-sullivan-reality-show.html…Expand
