Review Rewind - Jessy: Rain

Albums you might have missed, but aren’t too late to check out

Most readers in That’s My Jam’s American audience probably haven’t (yet) heard of Jessy, but the Belgian singer has been making noise in Europe for nearly a decade with guest spots on some of the continent’s hottest club records. For her own debut, 2005’s Rain, Jessy taps into her success with electronica, as well as some welcome out-of-genre jaunts.

One of those is the album’s title track, in which Jessy’s emotive vocals glide over a piano-ballad melody, singing lyrics to an inspirational muse, one who she’s in love with but has yet to meet. Not relying quite so much on dramatics or destiny, but similar in sound, is “Dancing in the Dark,” the piano-driven set opener.

“Stuck On You” features fluid-sounding guitar that guides the track through the crisp, Euro-pop-esque beats reminiscent of late-’90s material from the Backstreet Boys and Robyn. Also embracing pop of the dance variety are “I’ll Get Over You,” a bouncy cut about recovering from a failed relationship that Amber could have recorded in her early days, and “White Lies,” where Jessy’s honesty pushes her to spill her confessions and desires for a new start in an unexplained, existing relationship.

“Where Do I Go” serves as a great transition between the pop-oriented and clubbier songs, as the loungy cut utilizes the atmospheric elements of trance without including a pulsating beat. Those come courtesy of floor-fillers such as Jessy’s best-known song, “Look at Me Now.” “How Long” will also please vocal trance aficionados, as there are plenty of breaks and builds throughout the presentation of dance floor-ready questions about staying together. Lyrically, the more depressing “Silent Tears” won’t get folks doing much more than dancing, but the “na-na-na-nas” of “Enchanted” will encourage those looking to groove to happily sing along.

Rain is a strong debut, even though Jessy’s consistent monotone vocal range dominates a majority of the tracks, evoking sonic comparisons to iiO. She demonstrates more powerful pipes on a few of the disc’s club numbers, but hopefully her next album will embrace that potential and free her from being relegated to “just another electronica singer.”

Track List:
1. “Dancing in the Dark”
2. “Where Do I Go”
3. “Look at Me Now”
4. “Enchanted”
5. “What If”
6. “Rain”
7. “Stuck On You”
8. “Silent Tears”
9. “White Lies”
10. “Tell Me"
11. “I’ll Get Over You”
12. “Head Over Heels”
13. “How Long”

Review Rewind - Jessy: Rain