Jade’s debut album finally arrives 14 months after, ‘Angel Of My Dreams’ – one of last year’s best and most original top ten singles. Jade has hinted that label interference has delayed the album. She wanted it out long before festival season, where she received rave reviews for her performances over the summer. It seems like the label were looking for that huge second single and didn’t quite get the result they wanted, despite several excellent releases. Even winning a Brit Award in March didn’t speed things along. Surprisingly, three years after announcing their hiatus, Jade is the first ex Little Mix member to release a full length album.
That’s Showbiz Baby! begins with a run through of all her previous singles and promo singles (not that anyone can really tell the difference anymore). ‘Angel of my Dreams’ opens the album and is just as striking as it was last summer. It’s at least three songs in one (Girls Aloud style) and doesn’t sound cluttered in any way. It switches mood and tempo from Mariah/Ariana ballad to dark, crunchy electro-pop with ease. The latest single, ‘Plastic Box’ is more straightforward and feels like an ode to 2000s electro pop, specifically Robyn’s Body Talk. Jade effortlessly changes from her lower register into a gorgeous breathy vocal as she asks, “can I have your heart in a plastic box, never used, fully clean, untouched”. Ariana Grande’s ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ was similar in feel and very successful, unfortunately ‘Plastic Box’ didn’t smash as it should.
‘It Girl’ is a great empowering single full of attitude and a huge pulsing bass-line.Jade goes from crooner to robotic as she states, “I’m not your thing, I’m not your baby doll, no puppet on a string”. These contrasting melodies and Jade’s experimentation with her voice is part of the album’s appeal. ‘Midnight Cowboy’ is one of a few songs that has the stamp of Britney’s seminal Blackout album with that same sharp ice cold production – it still sounds ahead of its time.
‘Fantasy’ is the best of all the singles. It is a glorious homage to 70s disco with fitting sparkling production. It’s the perfect blend of Jessie Ware’s last album and pre-Seat At The Table Solange. The only flaw is that the outro is too short: with Jade’s heavenly ad-libs and the music taking off into the stratosphere, it feels like it could go on for at least another few minutes. Let’s keep that funky euphoria going.
Once you get past the singles, which feel like a mini Jade greatest hits, the album tracks are equally satisfying. ‘Unconditional’ is stuffed with neat production tricks and is the best song here. It starts like a moody space disco classic (something along the lines of Dee D. Jackson’s ‘Automatic Lover’) before a brief stab of ‘Standing In The Way Control’ guitar leads to a Moroder-esque bass-line and layers of fluttering synths. The chorus is absolutely divine, as is the thrilling abrupt end that has your hand hovering over the replay button. This and The Supremes sample of ‘Before You Break My Heart’ (which endearingly features a young Jade singing the main hook) scream the obvious next singles.
‘Lip Service’ is one of the simplest songs here. It shows Jade can also strip the arrangements down and not lose any of her appeal. The playful melody (co-written with Tove Lo )and minimal production are such a delight. Jade sounds carefree singing, “’cause I’m burnin’ up, burnin’ up, burnin’ up with all them nasty little butterflies, I get nervous when I catch your eye”. ‘Headache’ is another pop masterclass with its elastic bass and synth stabs. They accompany Jade, casually showing off what an incredibly versatile singer she is. The last minute switch up is akind of weird shoegaze power ballad, and it is just one of many times Jade throws out brilliantly detailed songwriting, with production to match.
By the time the airy and delicate‘Slow Disco’ closes the album like a perfect final flourish, it’s clear this incredibly appealing debut is a statement about exactly what kind of artist Jade wants to be. These songs are brimming with confidence and are full of her personality. In just 45 minutes, Jade comes across as one of those pop music nerds (in the best possible way) who deeply understands what makes pop music so vital and fresh in an over-saturated market. She has great instincts, which makes it exciting to think about where she could go next.
It’s unclear if That’s Showbiz Baby! will be a huge commercial success. One carefully picked single with the right video could well put her in that position, like ‘New Rules’ did for Dua Lipa after her similarly delayed debut back in 2017. It could also be that Jade settles into a comfortable role of a pop star who doesn’t necessarily have the biggest hits, yet keeps the quality extremely high and maintains a loyal fanbase like Carly Rae Jepsen, Tinashe and Jessie Ware. What matters right now is that Jade has released one of the most fun, ambitious and varied debut albums of the year. It was more than worth the wait.
