Jesse McCartney

Despite the fact that his last name is attached to an illustrious songwriting pedigree, Jesse McCartney doesn't follow in the artsy musical footsteps of the goes-without-saying legend known as Paul McCartney that he shares a moniker with. This particular McCartney traffics exclusively in confectionary, bubblegum pop that's a little frothier than the soulful waxing of Justin Timberlake. There's no shame in that either; McCartney aims to please in the here and now, instead of writing for the canon or for pop music posterity.

On Departure, McCartney proudly displays his vocal admiration of pop kings Timberlake and Michael Jackson, crooning in a mid-to-higher pitched voice that melts like a stick of butter over studio manufactured dance beats. McCartney's falsetto doesn't soar too high, either. He manages to strike just the right balance between the high and the low ends, all the while maintaining taut control over his smooth pipes.

"Leavin'" and "How Do You Sleep" are the surefire summer hits on Departure. On these two feel-good jams, which are catchier than germs from a sick, snotty toddler, McCartney flashes his ability to change tempos and be just as effective with his infectiousness. There's nothing too deep or serious about either cut; they exist solely to get you in the mood to groove. "Leavin'" is a mid-paced number where McCartney exercises range; he can go high or low and play with harmony, all the while keeping you moving in time with the beats. When he sings, "No stress, no stress, no stress" in his creamy, dreamy voice, you'll feel all the anxiety drain from your temples. McCartney is by no means a goody two shoes, either. He delivers a few lyrical barbs on the break up number "It's Over" and gets his funk on during both "Freaky" and the urban flecked "Rock You," which features a cameo by Sean Garrett.

Departure may not stand the difficult-to-pass test of time, but it's sure worthy enough to rev the engines of today's urban music-loving youth.

— Amy Sciarretto
06.09.08

Like any 21-year-old, Jesse McCartney is eager to prove that he's no longer a kid, something that the very title of his third album, Departure, makes plain. Departure isn't merely a break from his Radio Disney past, it's also a departure from the stuffy adult contemporary vibe of 2006's Right Where You Want Me, which found the then-teenager acting far older than his years. Despite McCartney's role as a co-author of Leona Lewis' international blockbuster "Bleeding Love," the song that defined the new wave of mature pop in 2007/2008, Jesse is smart enough to act age appropriate here, patterning himself after the ultimate new millennial teeny bopper turned player, Justin Timberlake. McCartney dips heavily into JT's bag of tricks, recycling some Off the Wall grooves and draping his ballads in icy analog synths straight out of FutureSex/LoveSounds, moves so transparent they could hardly be called thefts -- they're more like savvy marketing. As always, McCartney's strength is his flair for playing the pop game with sincerity, happily giving himself over to the clichés as that's what the rules demand. Sometimes, this can lead to awkward situations -- Sean Garrett does well as the producer of "How Do You Sleep?" but the duet on "Rock You" is too insistent -- but more the canny calculation of Departure is appealing, as McCartney has a weakness for big melodic hooks, a weakness that is better heard here than on "Bleeding Love" (his own version of which is added as a bonus track to some international pressings of the album). So, in sound and style Departure is a successful maturation for Jesse McCartney, yet there is a wrinkle in his master plan: his thin, boyish voice hasn't caught up to his sensibility. This causes some disconnect between the singer and the song -- the overtly randy "Into Ya" sounds declawed -- but it's not enough to spoil an otherwise solid transition into adulthood from McCartney. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide