Jesse McCartney - New Stage
Jesse McCartney is one of the most underrated male pop singers of the last 25 years. He got his start in the band Dream Street, who had a hit in the late 90s, but his solo material is really what put him on the map. Songs like “She’s No You,” “Beautiful Soul,” and “What’s Your Name” got him a nice bit of fame, but songs like “Body Language” and “Leavin’” really turned him into a pop / R&B star. His first album, 2004′s Beautiful Soul, is the first album I think I ever heard, or at least, one of them, because I remember getting it for my birthday when I was 12, I think; I got a Radio Disney compilation from 2005 that same year, so I think it was when I was 12, but his music was a soundtrack to me for that year, at least before I got into Fall Out Boy, Panic, and all of those bands. Jesse McCartney was one of the first artists I really got into, and I’ve enjoyed his music since then. In 2010, he released a single called “Shake” that was very good, but that was the last thing he put out until 2014. That was also his first album since 2006, but he released In Technicolor in 2014, and that was a really good album; moving towards a more funk, R&B, and soul direction, versus pop, it was a great record. I very much enjoyed it, and I enjoy it still today. I’ve played it a few times throughout the week, and I’ve enjoyed it every time I hear it.
That was the last we heard from him until 2018, when he dropped a couple of one-off singles entitled “Wasted” and “Better With You,” which moved back to a more contemporary pop sound, but they were very catchy, nonetheless. McCartney dropped a few songs in 2020, all of which appeared on his new album, 2021′s New Stage. I looked it up before writing this, because I wondered why he took so long to drop a new project, and there’s no reason for it. He said that he just got caught up with life, and enjoying where he was at in his life, but music was always still there, itching at him to do something else with it. I can respect that; he just made music when he felt like it, not because he had to. McCartney is also an established actor, too, appearing on All My Children and Fear The Walking Dead, just for an example, in two different decades. I’ve always loved his voice, so I decided to finally check this out, and you know what? It’s really good.
This is a very quick, breezy, and easygoing pop record that’s great to play when the weather’s warm and you just want to have a good time. That’s not to say this album is devoid of any personality or content, which is often my biggest issue with pop music, although that’s starting to go away, thanks to artists like Lil Nas X and Doja Cat, who are bringing their own personalities to their brand of pop and R&B. This album has a lot of personality, as it mainly talks about how McCartney is married now, and that’s what the title track in particular talks about. He’s in a new stage of his life, and he’s a different person than he was all of those years ago. Songs like “Yours,” “Highway,” “Lemonade,” “Discovering You,” and “What If I Missed You” talk about that a bit. “Yours” is a sweet little tune that says that the best thing he’s ever been, despite being an actor, singer, writer, etc, etc, is simply “yours.” It’s a sweet idea, as well as a song like “Discovering You,” which is sort of about the same thing, but the best thing he’s ever done is “discovering you.” “What If I Missed You” is about how one small decision could have lead him to miss his wife when they first met, and they might have never met at all. You can tell that he put a lot of his marriage into this record. That’s the main inspiration behind it, and I aboslutely love it for that.
This album isn’t anything special, musically speaking, but it’s catchy, fun, lighthearted, and very enjoyable. The replay value is high on this thing, especially when it’s only 28 minutes. This album is really short, but it doesn’t need to be really long. It knows what it is, and that’s a great thing. I love how it just comes and goes without any spectacle. His voice is also great here; he doesn’t have a particular powerful voice, but it’s smooth and classy. It works very well for this type of stuff, and I love it. He sells it very well, so if you’re a fan of his and you haven’t heard this yet, check it out now. It’s awesome. One of the best pop albums I’ve heard in awhile, and I don’t really listen to pop anymore, because of how it’s just passed me on by. Most of it isn’t that great, but I’m hearing a few records and artists that change my mind a bit, or that challenge my thoughts on the genre as of late. This one does just that, but I’ve been a fan of his for the last 17 years, give or take, and it’s crazy that he’s still going. I hope he keeps making music, because it’s always a hit, no matter what it is.
