Fearless (Jazmine Sullivan album)

Sullivan signed to Jive Records in 2003 where she later began providing vocals for other artists such as Kindred the Family Soul.[1] Sullivan graduated from the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia in 2005,[2][3] where she was a vocal music major. After graduation, she was dropped from her record label Jive Records, later scrapping her original debut album which remains unreleased.[4] In 2007, Peter Edge, record executive and then president of J Records, saw interest in her after listening to her demo that she recorded for Christina Milian's single "Say I" (2006), he later which offered her a deal with J Records.[5][6] She eventually began work for her debut studio album.[7]

The lead single, "Need U Bad", produced by Missy Elliott, was released on May 13, 2008.[8] and its music video premiered on July 7, 2008.[9] The song reached number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[10][11] She later performed the song at the 2008 BET Awards.[12] "Bust Your Windows" was released as the second single from the album on September 16, 2008,[13] and its music video premiered in October 2008.[14][15] The song was based on It reached number six on the Hot 100 and serves as Sullivan's most successful single. It also reached number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming her second top-ten hit on that chart.[16][17] Two other singles "Lions, Tigers & Bears" and "Dream Big" were later released and were accompanied by music videos.[18][19]

In a September 2008 interview with Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul, Sullivan disccused the album's title and lyrical themes,

I named the album 'Fearless' because I'm just not afraid of ANYTHING right now. I'm young, I'm 22 years old... And I just feel that, if YOU embrace your uniqueness by not being afraid to take chances and being different, then everybody ELSE will! You know, I definitely did not wanna exclude ANYBODY! So, if you buy my record and think you're gonna get just a bunch of reggae beats or just a bunch of R&B beats, you'll be wrong! You're gonna get EVERYTHING! I mean, the genres can range from jazz, to gospel, to pop... Because that's who I AM! And, with me having been inspired by so much, I wanted everybody to SEE that diversity in me.[20]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[21]
Entertainment Weekly	(C+)[22]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)	[23]
NOW	[24]
Okayplayer	(86/100)[25]
Q	[26]
Slant Magazine	[27]
USA Today	[28]

The album received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Sullivan received many comparisons by critics to other well-known female R&B artists, such as Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Mary J. Blige, and Alicia Keys.[25][29][30][31][32] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave the album 4½ out of 5 stars and praised her performance, stating "There's a lot of range on display here, and there is just as much depth".[21] Vibe's Erika Ramirez praised Sullivan's singing and lyrical substance, writing "Sullivan's vocal perfection pilots her debut album... and boasts her self-penned lyrics which are filled with struggle and heartache, embodying every inch of the soul star she is".[33] NOW's Benjamin Boles commended Sullivan for her "strong voice" and the album's production, stating "she’s pulling from a pleasingly wide range of influences – dropping bits of doo-wop, roots reggae, Motown and hip-hop into the mix while maintaining a consistent feel".[24] Q gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "[H]er voice merges Beyonce and Amy Winehouse and is backed by slick productions".[26] Houston Chronicle writer Joey Guerra wrote favorably of her songwriting and called the album "a collection brimming with attitude, edge and soul".[30] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave it 4 out of 5 stars and commended Sullivan for her lyrical honesty and musical range.[27] The Washington Post's Allison Stewart described Fearless as "a mix of awkward-but-novel devices (reggae beats, Daft Punk samples) and nakedly confessional songwriting" and called it "a snappy, intensely human debut".[29]

However, Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson gave Fearless a C+ rating and described most of its music as "schmaltzy pop-&-B".[22] Giving the album 3 out of 5 stars, About.com's Mark Edward Nero viewed her vocals as "generic and lack emotion or urgency" on some songs, but ultimately wrote that "there are more hits than misses here".[34] Nero lauded Sullivan's vocal performance and compared her songwriting to that of R&B musician Ne-Yo, writing "due to both artists' talent for writing on-point, introspective lyrics. Like Ne-Yo, Jazmine has a knack for crafting intricate, deeply personal verses that make you feel at one with the singer. Even on the weaker songs on Fearless, the songwriting is still above par".[34] USA Today's Steve Jones gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that she "sings every word as if she means it".[28] MusicOMH writer Michael Cragg praised Sullivan's vocal range and themes on the album, writing "Sullivan has created a mature, engaging R&B album that doesn't rely solely on the usual tropes of sexuality, money and posturing. Instead, Fearless deals with real emotions sung in a way that convinces the listener she means every single word".[31] Okayplayer's Jeff Harvey called it "a well produced urban pop album" and wrote that Sullivan's voice "carries a subtle tenderness that adds intriguing nuance".[25] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote favorably of Sullivan's performance and wrote "Her sense of humor is her best asset. She doesn't have a huge, imposing voice, but she's versatile, dabbling in jazz and reggae phrasings with ease".[35]

Fearless entered at number six on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 65,000 copies.[36] It fell to number 10 in its second week, selling 42,000 more copies.[37] The album also peaked at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[38] As of November 2010, Fearless has sold 517,000 copies in the United States.[39]

She earned five 2009 Grammy Award nominations for the album including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("Need U Bad"), Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("I'm in Love with Another Man"), Best R&B Song ("Bust Your Windows"), and Best Contemporary R&B Album, while Sullivan herself was nominated for Best New Artist.[40]

She also earned two 2010 Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song ("Lions, Tigers, and Bears").[41][42][43] Vibe magazine named the album one of the Ten Best Albums of 2008.[44]

Sample credits

• "Bust Your Windows" uses a sample from Salaam Remi's "Bad Man Waltz" and interpolates a lyric from Soulja Boy Tell Em's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"
• "Need U Bad" uses a sample from Nicolas Taylor Stanton's "Higher Meditation Riddim Version", and Tapper Zukie's "Papa Big Shirt"
• "My Foolish Heart" uses a sample from Willie Mitchell's "Groovin'"
• "Lions, Tigers and Bears" uses a sample from Salaam Remi's "Sheila's Playground"
• "Call Me Guilty" uses a sample from Salaam Remi's "Police Theme"
• "Dream Big" uses a sample from Daft Punk's "Veridis Quo"
• "Live a Lie" uses a sample from Salaam Remi's "The Truth"
• "Fear" samples Art of Noise's "Beat Box" and interpolates elements from Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her"
• "Switch" uses a sample from Ivy Hunter & William Stevenson "Your Cheating Ways" performed by the Marvelettes

Credits for Fearless adapted from Allmusic.[46]

• List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2008

• Official website
• Fearless at Discogs
• Jazmine Sullivan Clear for Take Off at Blues & Soul