Most of us came to know of Jason Derulo in 2009 when he released his debut single “Watcha Say.” I remember hearing the song for the first time on the radio and thinking “who is this kid, and how dare he have the audacity to turn an Imogen Heap song into such a catchy pop song,” (I heard the acoustic version and was even more blown away.) Derulo released another song or two from his self titled, debut album, but none were as catchy as “Watcha Say” so I honestly never bothered listening to the rest of the album.
When the music video for “Don’t Wanna Go Home” premiered earlier this year, I found myself in love, yet again, with Derulo and his clever use of samples. It was at that moment that I decided that I would give his sophomore album, Future History, a shot.
I initially intended to do my usual track by track review of the album, but after typing up about 5 song reviews I decided that may not be the best way to go. Unfortunately I found myself writing the same thing for every song, “catchy, but typical.” Jason failed to step outside the box and try anything new throughout this album, and it ultimately fell pretty flay. The two lead tracks are basically what the entire album sounds like….repetitive chorus’, sampled tracks, and a veryyy addictive beat. Album Highlights would definitely be the albums two lead tracks, (“Don’t Want To Go Home,” and “It Girl”) “Pick Up The Pieces,” “Fight For You,” and my absolute favorite “Breathing.” I found myself listening to tracks like “X’,” where Derulo sings about still being in love with his ex (although I would argue that it was lust, not love) and getting pretty bored. A lot of the tracks were just simply, forgettable, not because they were completely horrible, but because they all at some point began to sound the same.
Vocal Delivery: 3.5/5
Lyrical Content: 2/5
Production: 3.5/5
Overall, I can appreciate Jason Derulo’s attempt at a dance-pop album, but would suggest that next time he experiment with a few new sounds and step outside of his comfort zone so that fans don’t become too bogged down by the same ol’ sound. I genuinely hope that his next album incorporates a lot of his favorite styles from his debut and sophomore album, but also a lot of different styles as well.
Have you heard Future History? What did you think?!