Who You Are
by Jessie J
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 199 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 121 out of 199
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 199
  3. Negative: 47 out of 199
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  1. KleineSean
    Feb 11, 2012
    6
    Jessie's voice is amazingly strong and delivers very well in every song. However, I feel her talent is sort of ruined thanks to Dr Luke and his incredible ability to produce generic songs and turn the artists he works with into mainstream pop stars. Jessie J has A LOT of potential and if she had another producer that really used that potential, Jessie would be one of the most respectedJessie's voice is amazingly strong and delivers very well in every song. However, I feel her talent is sort of ruined thanks to Dr Luke and his incredible ability to produce generic songs and turn the artists he works with into mainstream pop stars. Jessie J has A LOT of potential and if she had another producer that really used that potential, Jessie would be one of the most respected artists in the business. Why would anyone use autotune with a voice like Jessie's? I have mad respect for her because I know she's a true, hard-working artist, I just think she could do WAY better. I know she can.… Expand
  2. JoelSN
    Mar 25, 2012
    4
    Jessie J has been one of the UK pop revelations during 2011. However "Who You Are" is not an album that justifies all the hype she has been getting. Jessie J has a great voice, but she misuses her talent sounding almost hysterical in some of the tracks. In addition, she relies on gimmicks in most of her songs ("Who You Are", "Who's Laughing Now") and she falls flat to give them her ownJessie J has been one of the UK pop revelations during 2011. However "Who You Are" is not an album that justifies all the hype she has been getting. Jessie J has a great voice, but she misuses her talent sounding almost hysterical in some of the tracks. In addition, she relies on gimmicks in most of her songs ("Who You Are", "Who's Laughing Now") and she falls flat to give them her own twist. Like most of her pop contemporaries, she relies on Dr. Luke's productions to get obvious hits ("Price Tag", "Domino") and at least she achieves some notable pop songs with those works. There are some hidden gems in the album ("Do It Like a Dude") but it is not a strong debut. Hopefully she can step up her game. Highlights: Do It Like a Dude, Price Tag, Mamma Knows Best… Expand
  3. dharma
    Jan 7, 2013
    5
    Jessie J falls into the same category as Christina Aguilera. Both singers actually have nice voices, but decides to purposely fall into the same 'Pop Diva' category. Her single Money is pretty good, but there is a lot of unnecessary vocalizing in her other tracks. That's the crappy side of Pop Music. You have singers with limited range whose 'average' voice blend with its deliberatelyJessie J falls into the same category as Christina Aguilera. Both singers actually have nice voices, but decides to purposely fall into the same 'Pop Diva' category. Her single Money is pretty good, but there is a lot of unnecessary vocalizing in her other tracks. That's the crappy side of Pop Music. You have singers with limited range whose 'average' voice blend with its deliberately produced beats (case in point, Kylie Minogue). Yet there are singers who can actually sing who are disadvantaged and over powers songs that are 'electronically processed'. In the end, she felt like a second rate 'Lady Gaga'.… Expand
  4. Mab_987
    Jul 28, 2012
    6
    Individual track reviews: Price Tag is kinda catchy but its just too familiar and mediocre to get anything out of. Not to mention that the message is questionable. I dont like that this is her biggest hit. 5/10. Nobodys Perfect is more personal & while the lyrics can be a little too straightforward at times, in this case its a sign of sincerity, and the big instrumentation matches itIndividual track reviews: Price Tag is kinda catchy but its just too familiar and mediocre to get anything out of. Not to mention that the message is questionable. I dont like that this is her biggest hit. 5/10. Nobodys Perfect is more personal & while the lyrics can be a little too straightforward at times, in this case its a sign of sincerity, and the big instrumentation matches it perfectly. 8/10. Abracadabra shows a bit more label influence and Im surprised it wasnt a single. The overproduction is a bit distracting & the magic metaphors feel forced & recycled but I guess its decent enough. 6/10. Big White Room is refreshingly stripped down & genuine, with just her & an acoustic guitar while she delivers some very passionate vocals & lyrics. Definitely a highlight of the album. However I dont think it shouldve been a live version, and the stuttering on the going crazy part take away from the mood. I wouldve preferred a studio version, since the applause can get distracting. Still its impressive. 7/10. Casualty of Love is the first taste we get of Jessie as a R&B singer and it works well for her. The instrumentation is smooth & her powerful delivery & love-centric lyrics fit it very well. R&B/soul isnt my style but for what it is I can appreciate it. 7/10. Rainbows overly electronic & noisy beat is a bit annoying & Jessies random squeaks take away from the good lyrics about unity & growing up in hard times. However, this is only a problem in the verses and the chorus is the best part of the song. 7/10. Whos Laughing Now is probably the closest shes done to a screw-you-to-haters song, and Im glad she actually managed to tackle that concept well, which is more than what I can say about a lot of modern pop &/or rap artists. Rather than being about h8rz being jealous of her fame & money, she talks about all the people in her past that doubted her musical dreams & ambitions, and as a result its very believable and easy to go with lyrically. Again, the music couldve used less electronics but it still works as a whole. Might be my favorite song on the album. 8/10. Do It Like a Dude represents everything thats wrong with this album. Overproduced, trying way too hard to copy other pop stars, mainly Nicki Minaj, & the vocals, lyrics & beat (notice I didnt say instrumentation this time) are annoying. I just know that Jessies gonna regret this song later in her career. 2/10. Mamma Knows Best is the most straightforward soul track on this album, and by far the most bluesy. Also Im pretty sure its the only track here to feature a full horn section. The whole track is just so overwhelmingly confident in the best way possible. 8/10. L.O.V.E. is a nice change of pace into something more familiar after spending so many tracks in such a strong area one way or the other. Its just an earnest uplifting singer-songwriter pop love song that gets the job done. My one gripe is that the brief spoken part in the middle is really unnecessary and comes off as obnoxious. 7/10. Stand Up is a good song in the vocal & lyric departments but the instrumentation is a little too empty to fit the big multi-tracked vocals & slightly clumsy inspirational message, and as a result it doesnt really get any emotion out of me like its trying to do. It has potential but I dont think this was given the right treatment. The strings are a nice touch but with not much else in there it just doesnt work very well. 6/10. I Need This is a pop-rock power ballad about self-reflection that can sound a little bloated in the production area but sounds sincere nonetheless. But despite the well-done rock instrumentation and emotional vocals, the vocal melodies be a bit awkward & forced. Decent but not a highlight. 6/10. The last track on the standard edition, the title track Who You Are, is a fantastic closer about being yourself. Normally this would be a cookie-cutter theme youd roll your eyes at but Jessie uses real life experiences & insight, as well as some very passionate vocals, to make this a very believable, emotional and original take on a topic that lately pop stars have been laughably driving into the ground. 8/10. The first bonus track Domino is probably my favorite out of the straightforward pop songs here, the others being Price Tag, Do It & Abracadabra. While this track doesnt really amaze me and the lyrics arent exactly the deepest here, its easy to see that its just meant to be a fun harmless dance-pop song, and the lyrics dont usually sound cliche. 6/10. My Shadow is a well-made love song about the dependency of someone youre in a relationship with, and I cant say much about it that I havent already said with the other songs here. 7/10. And finally, LaserLight feat. David Guetta literally sounds like every other David Guetta song ever. Its just a blatant throwaway club-pop song. 4/10. In conclusion this album shows a lot of potential/talent but I really hope the next album is better. Album rating: 64/100.… Expand
  5. Brad_
    Nov 29, 2012
    6
    Jessie J's vocal ability blows all modern artists out of the water. I am disappointed by her song choices for her album. Her attractive, bubbly and talented personality primarily brought me to her music, and when I heard her vocal ability I was left wanting more, but the album does fall short. There are moments of amazement like Big White Room, which is so simple, yes less is more and theJessie J's vocal ability blows all modern artists out of the water. I am disappointed by her song choices for her album. Her attractive, bubbly and talented personality primarily brought me to her music, and when I heard her vocal ability I was left wanting more, but the album does fall short. There are moments of amazement like Big White Room, which is so simple, yes less is more and the listeners (and followers of her) envision young Jessie in hospital with a her world seemingly black and white. However, you have moments of "what were you thinking Jessie?" when you hear "I gotta have ya" rhymed with "like abracadabra" and you wonder how long it took her to write such lyrics. To be very frank, her album is slightly disappointing but I can't help but listen and admire her vocal gymnastics and tricks. Being biased here, I do understand her aim with this album, it does pain me that some of the songs were recorded 4 years ago prior to its inclusion on her debut album because the growth of her vocal ability from then is incredible. I do urge you to listen to 'Who You Are' sang live because that song particularly shows her vocal growth and when I heard it in the album, it was slightly too sharp for the ear. I recommend you do give it a listen but not for the lyrics and the instrumentation but for her personality and vocal ability. I do hope that with her next album it is not too commercially pop, although it has worked in her favour with hits like Price Tag, Dominoes and Lazerlight (all three which I despise). Favourite Song: Mamma Knows Best Most Played: Big White Room Best instrumentation: Mamma Knows Best Most endearing: Who you are… Expand
  6. AnarchistArtist
    Oct 16, 2013
    6
    Incredible, versatile voice, but isn't used to her full potential here. Most of the songs have weak lyrics disguised with far too many riffs, and the entire album is over-produced. I heard "Nobody's Perfect" and "Who You Are" first in her live performance videos on YouTube, and they were 10x better than on the album. These tracks are good for mindlessly belting out alone in your room orIncredible, versatile voice, but isn't used to her full potential here. Most of the songs have weak lyrics disguised with far too many riffs, and the entire album is over-produced. I heard "Nobody's Perfect" and "Who You Are" first in her live performance videos on YouTube, and they were 10x better than on the album. These tracks are good for mindlessly belting out alone in your room or the car but they're too over-the-top to get any real emotion from them. Hopefully she will find some new collaborators to work with on her next album and keep things vocally simpler, but most intelligently constructed.… Expand
  7. ryanloveslana
    May 22, 2015
    4
    I don't know. The album has great bops such as Price Tag, Do It Like A Dude, Who's Laughing Now, Domino, and Who You Are. She tried too hard on this, trying to give off the "next Lady Gaga" debut album, but fails.
  8. clem666
    Nov 12, 2020
    4
    Everything in this album is perfectly preheated. It never feels like something original is being tested here. All tracks are perfectly smooth and cliché pop songs, nothing surprises us, nothing really disappoints us. It is just lukewarm from the begenning to the end. However Jessie J shows us her beautiful voice (as we can hear it in 'Big White Room (Live)'), a promising voice if she justEverything in this album is perfectly preheated. It never feels like something original is being tested here. All tracks are perfectly smooth and cliché pop songs, nothing surprises us, nothing really disappoints us. It is just lukewarm from the begenning to the end. However Jessie J shows us her beautiful voice (as we can hear it in 'Big White Room (Live)'), a promising voice if she just couldn't let go of the classic mainstream paths. Lyrics don't even escape this dark treatment and also reveal to be dull and unsurprising. There clearly is something better to achieve with a voice and a power like hers.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed Album of 2011
26
#26 Most Shared Album of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 23
  3. Negative: 3 out of 23
  1. Uncut
    May 13, 2011
    60
    Sincere but Hokey homilies test the patience, but she brings imaginative vocal skills and real life experiences to "White Room," which displays a certain determined character. [Jun 2011, p.86]
  2. NOW Magazine
    Apr 29, 2011
    20
    Over-emoting at every turn, she obliterates otherwise innocuous soul, R&B and reggae-inflected songs with gimmicky vocal histrionics, strident attempts at melisma and the kind of callow self-help lyrics that are apparently mandatory for all young pop stars nowadays.
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  3. RapReviews.com
    Apr 26, 2011
    50
    Quite honestly, Ke$ha is just more fun to listen to, even though Jessie J may ultimately have more career longevity. It's a decent enough album for the teenage dance set though.
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