Jessie Reyez - A LITTLE VENGEANCE
Hell hath no fury like a scorned Jessie Reyez. On A LITTLE VENGEANCE, her sprawling fourth studio album, Reyez sings about pretty much the same post-breakup blues on nearly every song, yet she manages to make each offering completely interesting and unique. Her vocal delivery, song creation, and lyrical prowess make her a force to be reckoned with in both R&B and the dating scene. Seriously, if anyone reading this happens to date her and manages to fumble the relationship or, God forbid, cheat, may God have mercy on your soul.
Over seventeen songs, Reyez sings, raps, and reflects on the end of a relationship and the mental impact it’s had on her psyche. Sandwiched between several of the songs are interludes which find Reyez speaking about everything from the ever-changing nature of family life to switching numbers in her ex’s phone when she got suspicious. I’m not sure if that last part is true, but if so, it’s diabolical and kinda funny. There is a tongue-in-cheek aspect to Reyez’ lyricism on VENGEANCE. Her voice is stunning on album opener “CRUMBLE”, singing about the demise of the relationship in such a serious manner, yet throwing in lines like “Physically, Papi, you’re built like a God, but emotionally you need a therapist/If you try saying you don’t, you must be a comedian, fuckin’ hilarious”.
She’s aware of her need for the relationship. She acknowledges that she wishes she could just let it go on “N.Y.F.F.” (“Man, that’s why sometimes I wish I was dumb/Then I’d be one of these dull mothafuckas/Just smiling with nothing to lose, oh my God/Wish being dumb was something I could choose”). She eventually lets her vengeance loose on “DUSTY” (“You’re lucky I don’t hit your wife/And tell her that you still reach out/You’re lucky that I live my life/And keep your name out of my mouth/You’re lucky I don’t leak those pics/That you still got the nerve to send”). Her lyrics are vague enough to not give away who the person is, yet there’s a specificity about them (“Guess that it’s my fault for liking athletes/C.T.E.’s reality with you/It’s that or you’re stupid? You pick”)
There are a few moments on A LITTLE VENGEANCE that veer away from the relationship in question, namely the self-deprecating “F**K YOU JESSIE” and the emotional “EVERYBODY CRIES SOMETIMES”, where her voice shines especially well against the gentle strums of an acoustic guitar as she gets vulnerable. “SALT” finds her getting even more candid (“My first trip to L.A., I almost jumped off the balcony/It was the first time garbage cheated/Almost killed me with no bleeding/Thought he was everything I needed”). Moments later, she is putting her faith into the divine and, like all of us, hoping that the universe sorts it out in the end.
R&B records like A LITTLE VENGEANCE fascinate me because they feature singer-songwriters that can go from being completely confident (“99%”) to spiteful (“WHEN YOU HOLD HER”) to insecure and self-doubting (“UR HEARTBEAT”). The emotion behind Reyez’ voice is palpable; she was hurt badly. Songs about heartbreak are a dime a dozen; the music industry was built on heartbreak. Yet Jessie Reyez manages to take her sadness, pettiness, and yearning and turn it into something equal parts beautiful and painful. By the time we reach the album’s closer, “EGO ATROPHY”, she seems like she’s finally starting to heal, bridging the gap between faith and inner peace with a spoken word sample by the late Bob Marley. A LITTLE VENGEANCE is Reyez’ finest work to date. I hope that, one day, she can find happiness.
