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List Price: $13.98 | | Label: Blackground Records
Salesrank: 27935
Released: June 22, 2004 |
| Our Price: $2.70 |
| Used Price: $0.25 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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JoJo Track Listing:
1. Breezy
2. Baby It's You
3. Not That Kinda Girl
4. Happy Song
5. Homeboy
6. City Lights
7. Leave (Get Out)
8. Use My Shoulder
9. Never Say Goodbye
10. Weak
11. Keep On Keepin' On
12. Sunshine
13. Yes or No
14. Fairy Tales
Editorial Review:
Includes Three Bonus Tracks Not on the USA Version.jojo's Impressive Debut Album Showcases her Talent, Not Only as a Singer, but as a Songwriter as Well. It is an Album Infused with Assured, Confident Vocals and Lyrics that Speak Way Beyond Jojo's Tender Years. The Ballads Are Deep and Soulfilled, and the Up Tempo Tracks Are Bumping and Make You Want to Dance.
Description of JoJo:
Few will accuse JoJo of being a musical revolutionary--hers is a streetwise, modern R&B sound that owes a lot to Destiny's Child and a little to opposite-ends-of-the-genre artists Angie Stone and Aaliyah--but there is a freshness about her. This, on mulling it over, is a quality that's hard to miss when you're 13. Those who haven't ventured beyond the radio hit "Leave (Get Out)," though, will want to take this self-titled debut for a spin if only to be among the first to discover an artist who's figured out how to effectively blend innocence with attitude. It's not the lyrics but the delivery that grabs hold and gives way to compulsory head-bobbing: JoJo may not be "That Kinda Girl," as we learn three tracks in, but instead of putting her point across shyly, peppering the song with flirty vocal question marks, we half-expect her to tell us to step off. The same expert ferociousness fuels "Baby It's You," which embraces sincerity--love for all the right reasons--and power-kicks materialism to the curb. It's not always the case that you can judge a CD by its cover, but with JoJo there's no harm in projecting. Sulking from inside her plastic cover, the artist seems at once woebegone and willful, menacing and mopey. Pop scenesters will do well to keep watching. --Tammy La Gorce
JoJo Reviews:
JoJo's debut is quite likable. 
2009-09-11 - September 11, 2009
*Breezy* - Not my favorite but it's alright. It talks about telling another girl to step off because the boy is mine. Features a catchy, unique beat which is the best part of the song. (3.5)
*Baby It's You* - A wonderful tune with a very catchy beat. It was the second single and features Bow Wow in the video (which should have been included on the U.S. disc). Closer to 4.5 than a 4. (4)
*Not That Kinda Girl* - Has a decent vibe to it, and although not one of my favorites, it stands out because of the way the lyrics flow. Better than *Breezy*. (4)
*The Happy Song* - If the chorus wasn't repeated so much and instead had one more verse, this song would be much better. But it really does make me happy and I almost always sing along to it. Remains one of my favorites. Closer to a 4.25. (4)
*Homeboy* - A very pleasing song. Talks about a boy that has been around all along, as a friend but wants to be more than that now. I love singing this one too. (4)
*City Lights* - A song I just found and got into. It's longer than all the other tracks, coming in at almost 5 minutes but it's solid and a good R&B/Hip-Hop lite song. Talks about having fun around town (and possibly getting a car which JoJo couldn't drive till 3 years later! lol). (4)
*Leave (Get Out)* - Catchy, catchy, catchy. The lead single off the album, JoJo wants an ex to leave and never come back. You've heard this one. It's one of the better tracks on the album and the guitar in it is classic. Closer to 4.25 but I don't rate that way anymore. It gets too complicated. (4)
*Use My Shoulder* - An alright song. The lyrics are pretty much what keeps it afloat. While not filler, it's not the strongest track here. Closer to 3.75. (3.5)
*Never Say Goodbye* - A lovely ballad that also happens to be my favorite track on the album. The first time I heard this, I knew I was in love. It's a bit mushy but I'm a fan of songs like that. It speaks on a first love that makes your world go round, leaving the lonely behind. (4.5)
*Weak* - A solid remake of SWV's 1992 hit written by Brian Alexander Morgan. JoJo's version is a little inferior, but it's concrete, nonetheless. (4)
*Keep On Keepin' On* - An inspirational tune about struggling in life and the first song that JoJo wrote or co-wrote (she did this one alone). (4)
*Sunshine* - Almost similar to *The Happy Song*, it talks about a guy that makes you happy. Another one that's fun to sing along to although it's not my favorite. Second track to be co-written by Joanna "JoJo" Levesque. (4)
*Yes Or No* - Definitely the weakest track on the album and the only filler track present. It's kind of a ghetto track about this guy that isn't sure who he wants, and JoJo wants him to make up his mind. The first time I heard it, I pretty much hated it, and although that it has gotten a bit better, it's still the least fun track (besides the intriguing intro). The beat sounds too dated. Co-written by JoJo. Closer to 3.25. Would have made a piss poor ending. (3)
*Fairy Tales* - Heartbroken JoJo talks about how she doesn't believe in love any longer because of the lack of it in her life. Actual rating would be a 4.25. Solid ending and feels like a lullaby with a backbeat. (4)
Raw score: 3.892857143
4 stars.
DOWNLOAD:
Never Say Goodbye
Baby, It's You
The Happy Song
City Lights
Leave (Get Out)
Keep On Keepin' On
end note: JoJo may not be a powerhouse, but her vocals aren't just ordinary either. She carries her own weight vocally. If you want a solid pop & R&B album, then you can settle for this album because it's solid. But if you don't wanna settle for good songs and wanna go for great, head over to "The High Road" and get JoJo's second album. -Warning- She was 15 with that record and it features some underlying sexual tones in it. Not totally appropriate for her album, but there is more variety on that album and more excellent songs, as opposed to good ones.
Some great some ok
2009-01-26 - Jojo has some amazing songs, but some aren't quite as good. it's only worth your money if you like all the songs.
JoJo is awesome! 
2007-02-28 - All I can say, is that JoJo has a voice years beyond herself and I think she is going to have a long career ahead. She is just awesome!
Good Debut For JoJo
2006-12-02 - Kid talent show discovery JoJo's self-titled Blackground Records, Da Family-affiliated debut is a slick set of modern R&B in the vein of Brandy or Monica, with plenty of room to introduce its star's bigger-than-you'd-think presence. A bank of producers -- Vincent Herbert, Soulshock, Bink -- provide backgrounds that bump decidedly in the midrange -- there's a conscious effort to keep the focus on JoJo, and not whatever beats are currently making the grade. In other words, her vocals never sound detached from the goings-on behind her, or just a voice chattering over R&B generica. And this is promising, as the young singer really does have a tremendous voice. "Breezy" and "Homeboy" multi-track her trills, sulky whispers, and brassy wails over clicky percussion and a mixture of loops and instrumental snippets. Throughout there's talk of sheezies, throwbacks in the mix, cell phones, and the boy next door jilting poor JoJo. But even if the lyrics throughout are pretty interchangeable, vocally there's no doubt in her ability to carry the album, and the lack of irritating skits or attention-hogging guest shots is pretty refreshing. The funky jook of the Reggie and Ronald Burrell production "City Lights" features a few random "JoJo do that thing" drop-ins, but the girl gets right to the bottom of that freaky Beyoncé id, and aligns the cut with fellow standout "Not That Kinda Girl." Lead single "Leave (Get Out)" doesn't have a lot of staying power, but its guitar figure is a nice touch, and the chorus hits with the right amount of tell-off brashness. There's also a serviceable update of the 1992 SWV hit "Weak," the stripped-down strut of "Yes or No" (is that real beat boxing?), and the requisite ballad in "Never Say Goodbye." All in all, JoJo is a strong debut. Its centerpiece is never smothered with collabo pile-ons, and she's served well by the mix of arrangements and backgrounds. She's definitely courting middle-lane accessibility, but she rightly lets her singing do the talking, and that's a signal of where she's headed.
Also check out her latest CD, "The High Road"
JoJo kicks butt!
2006-10-03 - I think Jojo is a good singer and shouldn't be judged because of her age or by her gender. My mates like to listen to a few of her songs sometimes. Maybe we like it because we've had a few experinces that jojo sings about, or because me and my mates are in the Canadian Army, or because we're just Canadians who aren't picke about what music we listen to. Oh yeah just to let you know Sahag, I've seen ten or twelve year olds holding hands and calling each other "sweetheart" and that doesn't sadden me. I think that it's up to the kids parents to tell them if it's right or wrong. The thing that saddens me is that many of my brothers and comardes are fighting and dying in Afghanistan while rednecks and the media say that we're not doing anything in Afghanistan when more then half of the Canadians killed in Afghanistan were because of Americans doing friendly-fire.
