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] It reached number 31 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" (which reached number 74 on the Hot 100) 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]

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.^{[27][30][31][25][32]} AllMusic writer Andy Kellman gave the album four and a half out of five stars and praised her performance, stating: "There's a lot of range on display here, and there is just as much depth."^[22] 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."^[26] Houston Chronicle writer Joey Guerra wrote favorably of her songwriting and called the album "a collection brimming with attitude, edge and soul."^[31] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave it four out of five stars and commended Sullivan for her lyrical honesty and musical range.^[28] 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."^[30]

However, Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson gave Fearless a C+ rating and described most of its music as "schmaltzy pop-&-B."^[23] Giving the album three out of five 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."^[21] 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."^[21] 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."^[29] 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."^[25] 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."^[27] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote favorably of Sullivan's performance, citing "Her sense of humor" as "her best asset. She doesn't have a huge, imposing voice, but she's versatile, dabbling in jazz and reggae phrasings with ease."^[34]

Fearless entered at number six on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 65,000 copies.^[35] It fell to number 10 in its second week, selling 42,000 more copies.^[36] The album also peaked at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[37] As of November 2010, Fearless has sold 517,000 copies in the United States.^[38]

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 ("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.^[39]

She also earned two 2010 Grammy Award nominations for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song ("Lions, Tigers, and Bears").^[40][41][42] Vibe magazine named the album one of the Ten Best Albums of 2008.^[43]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

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.^[45]

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

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