Review Summary: Elegant and subtle, Jacob Collier captivates the listener on a wispy and smooth adventure.
What a wild album, it seems this is purely Jacob in his stylistically experimental drift. Sifting through ballads of Irish Folk, Jazz Folk, Bossa Nova, and impossibly orchestrated A Capella performances, I consider this to be Jacob in his most performative stage. It seems as though he either wants to prove himself to musicians and critics all around, in a unique and captivating endeavor, almost in the form of adventure. While Jacob is a profound and imme nsely talented, he definitely takes advantage of his prowess more so here than in this album's successor, Djesse (Vol. 3). While some may see it as a pretentious and arrogant undergoing, I find many tracks on this record, such as Make Me Cry and especially his rendition of Moon River, beautiful representations of just how solidly fantastic Jacob's style of A Capella and instrumentation can get. He had nothing else to prove, as renowned as he was, and yet he takes the time out his day to compose such extensive arrangements spanning many genres, and more impressively, an absurd amount of vocal layering and stems.
Djesse (Vol. 2) really takes it's stride in putting the listener in their seat, letting the listener decide after the first 5 tracks whether or not they want to take part in the rest of the journey, using Moon River as a turning point. Once all naysayers have left, Jacob takes many drifts and turns, beginning with the slow paced R&B ballad, Feel. Balanced and smooth, Jacob paints a lush picture of an early Sunday morning, when one would simply take a sip of Joe and look out the window, bringing an ethereal and yet energetic kick to the listener's mood. Reminiscent of a Coffee House Recital, whatever room you happen to be listen to this in, the lights feel dimmed and subtle. Your mind falls blank and is only filled with the emotion created by each piece of music.
I will say, the album takes quite a strange turn during the final tracks, beginning with Dun Dun Ba Ba, bluntly transitioning into more of a African-esque abstract form of scat jazz, that's definitely more difficult to follow, although accompanied by invigorating bass lines, and energizing vocals, although it's tampered by the lack of vision, and feels often messy or uninspired at times. These tracks would definitely serve as the largest pitfall to me, although they can easily be skipped or passed over during the listening experience, and the ending is later saved by the groovy, powerful tones of "Do You Feel Love" (while not perfect and still scattered).
I find this to be purely a "love it or despise it" album. You can either bask in the opportunity and allow yourself to be captivated by whatever Jacob wills to put on the table, or you can view to it as generic pretentious over-performative trash. Either of these outcomes are simply effects on just how this album rubs off on you. Despite this, I can definitely if you might feel thrown off or taken aback in confusion by the final moments of the album. For the most streamlined listening experience, I would definitely suggest skipping right to Rest You Weary Head after Here Comes The Sun.
Favorites: Moon River, Make Me Cry, Feel, Lua, I Heard You Singing
Least Favorite: Dun Dun Ba Ba, Nebaluyo, Outro
