Source: Official Artwork
Capitalising on the success of ‘Talk Dirty‘ and ‘Wiggle‘ from his EP release last year, Jason Derulo has released his fourth studio album, titled Everything Is 4, and we love it!
It opens with the incredibly catchy ‘Want to Want Me‘ which has already spent several weeks ruling the UK charts. Followed by the love song ‘Cheyenne‘, which sounds like a modern take on Michael Jackson‘s ‘Billie Jean‘, it’s also an obvious single choice. Derulo croons “I chose to look for exits because all I ever wanted was some fun, I never meant to fall in love” as he employs his signature falsetto. ‘Get Ugly‘ is a “let’s get drunk” song which we’re sure sums up many a night out on the town.
‘Pull-Up‘ is an unusual electronic song full of schisms and scratches, bops and pops, while sounding like ‘Wiggle’ but far more hardcore and without the R&B influence. Similarly, it appears to re-use the handclaps from ‘Talk Dirty‘. One thing the album certainly isn’t short of is features and duets; the first is a ‘Love Like That‘, a duet with K. Michelle on which the pair sing about how wrong it is but how natural it feels for Derluo to cheat with his best friends girlfriend, K. Michelle. However, it does get slightly cringeworthy in the spoken rap whereby Derulo tells K. Michelle to “kiss it”, “grab it” and “twist it”. We wonder how that would be represented in a music video.
Moving on to the cleaner duet with Meghan Trainor, ‘Pain Killer‘ has the doo-wop style that Trainor has become infamous for, and is the first song that does not sound as though it belongs on 4, but rather that of the featured singer.’Try Me‘ is a pop and Caribbean island smooth song which features Jennifer Lopez, tapping into her Latina roots and is generally pleasant to listen to.
Overall, Derulo has far excelled anything he has ever released before on Everything Is 4. From the flawless vocals to the innovative and explorative melodic beats on several of the songs, it is cohesive, honest and fresh. No following trends, no trying too hard, no over production. Just simple music making and great songwriting.
