Jesse McCartney - Departure
[EMI]

'Departure' is Jesse McCartney's third solo album, and it seems he is definitely starting to find his own sound. Sometimes it takes a while to drop the image of being in a boyband - it's easy to judge ex-teeny stars and not give them respect as a serious artist, but remember that even Justin Timberlake started out in 'N Sync!

There are so many different sounds and styles to Jesse's new album, yet it manages to flow really well. With a couple of exceptions such as 'Rock You' and 'Makeup', which sound a little out of place and out of date, everything on the album seems to fit together perfectly and is bound to give everyone a bit of something they like.

There are a lot of tracks on 'Departure' that will make you think of other artists. 'How Do You Sleep' for instance, has the same cheesy-fun feel to it that Savage Garden used to do so well, yet with a more modern R&B beat. The uplifting tune totally contradicts the lyrics, but the song benefits from this as it leaves you smiling. That's something this record does well - if it's anything, it's not depressing.

'My Baby' sounds like something Kylie Minogue could easily get to number one with, and 'Freaky' has a real Britney at her best feel to it. Both are very dancey tracks that you'd expect to hear in any club.

'Told You So' and 'Not Your Enemy' are two ballads with distinct differences. 'Told You So' still has a lot of the boyband cheesiness to it that Jesse should have got rid of by now. The latter, although still sounding a lot more poppy than the rest of his more hip-hop inspired album, is done in a more grown up way. If anything, 'Not Your Enemy' is a really noticable track, as it sounds like nothing else on the album. He veers away from his typical sound and goes for something different instead, which surprisingly, works well for him.

Almost any song on this album would do well as a single, but the stand out tracks have to be Leavin, 'It's Over' - which will certainly be a future release - and 'My Baby'.

'Departure' has a mix of R&B, hip hop, electro-pop and club tunes all thrown in at once, and it all works well with Jesse's vocals. Although the album is a good listen first time round, it's definitely a grower. Don't dismiss it right away, as chances are that after the second playing, you'll know the tracks backwards. If I were to make a prediction - and looking at the producers he's worked with so far, perhaps Jesse McCartney will be the next Justin Timberlake...

Departure Tracklisting:

1. Leavin'
2. It's Over
3. Rock You
4. How Do You Sleep
5. Into Ya
6. Make Up
7. My Baby
8. Told You So
9. Relapse
10. Runnin'
11. Freaky
12. Not Your Enemy