JoJo comes back with three brand new singles
Do you all remember JoJo? This singer had her breakthrough in 2004 when she was just 13 years old. She had a huge hit with ‘Leave (Get Out)’ with a video shot in a highschool where she was singing about her cheating boyfriend with her back against the lockers. That’s more than ten years ago and a lot happened, but she only managed to get one other major hit with ‘Too Little Too Late’ in 2006. After this she released some singles and a pretty great mixtape, but all was overshadowed by continuous disagreements and fights with her label. This got solved last year as she was let go and now she works on a new start under Atlantic Records. She just released not one, not two, but three new singles as the first taste of her upcoming third album.
JoJo likes to refer to this unusual release as a ‘tringle’ and she put all three brand new tracks on YouTube simultaneously. Here’s a review of the songs of the tringle, that should be called III according to the cover art.
When Love Hurts
Out of the three tracks, ‘When Love Hurts’ is the most obvious single choice. The track is uptempo pop/dance with a catchy chorus. Of course what follows is an instrumental breakdown. The song is far from original and it chases trends rather than setting one, but at the same time it is executed pretty well. The lyrics about love only being real when it hurts stand out and the production complements the composition nicely. I don’t know if it will be the hit she needs, but I reckon it could do well on radio.
Save My Soul
‘Save My Soul’ could be seen as the most personal and emotional track of the ‘tringle’. It might be the strongest as well. The chorus is very powerful and shows off JoJo’s still incredible vocals. During a promo event she explained how she grew up with parents who dealt with alcohol addiction and how this influenced her youth and that’s what the track is about. It’s a brave thing to write about this and the result is moving. It is written in a not very specific way in order to give room to other interpretations for the listener. Well done!
Say Love
The third track of III is called ‘Say Love’. It’s probably the most middle of the road, which is not a negative thing per se. It just feels a little less radiofriendly than ‘When Love Hurts’ and less personal than ‘Save My Soul’. It does have it’s qualities though. JoJo once again belts out like her life depends on it, which sounds great. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a girl who wants her love interest to finally say out loud that he loves her, which is obviously a relatable topic. The build up in the chorus is huge which adds to the drama and of course we love that!
It’s hard to tell if this release will put JoJo back on the map in pop land, but at least she has created some buzz around her music again and it’s a great first taste of the upcoming album that needs to be released this time around!