“Falling or Flying” – Jorja Smith Album Review

Review by Gurleen Kaur

On Friday, September 29, 2023 Jorja Smith a UK singer-songwriter released her newest album Falling or Flying under the Record Label FAMM. Jorja worked alongside Music Producer DAMEDAME, a production duo that are also Jorja’s friends. I love when artists work with their childhood friends on something major in their musical career. The album is forty-five minutes long and consists of sixteen songs. I  will be discussing a couple of songs that stood out the most to me and my review of this album in general.

The first song that stood out to me is “Try and fit in” which is approximately one minute and fifty-seven seconds long. It starts off by beats going back and forth harmoniously like how a person’s heart beats when they are in a safe environment. It can also feel like when your heart is beating when you are overthinking about something even though you may simply just be sitting down doing nothing but thinking. After every lyric Jorja sings, the beat returns after it each time. The lyrics themselves are relatable to many different walks of life. This song is basically about a person who is working so much to try to forget a situation they had to go through, but then never having time for themselves and believing that is enough to get through anything. I myself am a person who works more than they should at my age, but I am aware I put myself in these positions and I am not one who necessarily gives up on what’s given to me or in general. It is very true that people care more about themselves and their own problems than they care about you. Life will move forward regardless if someone is by your side or not because your life is dependent on you and nobody else. The song itself is soft and slow which is something I appreciate because at times I want my ears to hear something like that instead of my regular intense music. Everyone has their days and something to keep in mind is to not allow others actions towards you affect your mood or day in any kind of way. Not everyone is in touch with their emotional side or are emotionally intelligent and that is something that takes a lot of growth to strengthen over time. Time is really all we need, and it’s something that will always keep going even if we slow down for a tiny bit. So trying to fit in or do things that do not necessarily bring any good to you should not be your first choice of action.

The last song that drew my attention is “Make Sense” which is a divine timed song at two minutes and twenty-two seconds. The song starts off with a guitar being played, then the beat starts immediately along with the lyrics. There is a small pause between each lyric that is sung, similar to “Try and fit in”. The song talks about not expecting the unexpected in regards to love that is healthy because the person has never experienced something so good in their life. The individual feels so happy because they found a home in a person who only ever lifts them up in life. I do definitely feel like this can apply to more things in someone’s life. It is like when you meet someone who you click with for the first time and you both lift each other up and build a long lasting bond with one another. Which is something that many people have and are possibly currently experiencing in life because as much as it feels rare, it does happen quite often. It is someone or something that reminds you there is light in this world, and that will do everything that they can to support you no matter the obstacles you may have to go through. People at their lowest, especially those who do not feel like they have support in their life, feel as if things will just continue to worsen. Even though the person can get through this and just need that little sparkle in their life to remind them that everything will be okay. I may have made a deeper meaning out of such a simple song but when it comes to reviewing a song you do have to find the hidden parts within or what it reminds you of.

So how do I feel about this album in general? Something I didn’t mention in the beginning of this review is I don’t really listen to Jorja Smith on a daily basis. However, I do enjoy RnB music. This genre of music is one I find comforting to listen to. Out of all sixteen songs only two really connected with me which I guess can say something about the album and how it truly is not me. However I do feel like it is an enjoyable album to listen to if it comes on. If I remember it randomly one day, then I would play those two songs on repeat until I get tired of hearing them. An artist who I feel gives off the same vibe is H.E.R and specifically their self titled album from 2017. I absolutely love to listen to that album and it is so soothing to hear each time. All in all I would recommend listening to this album especially during this time of the year. Jorja Smith released the album at a perfect time of the year, especially with the kind of songs on the album. Props to Jorja for doing that, but artists do not always take that into consideration, so even if it was coincidentally I do think it was meant to be released during this time. Jorja did her job which was to entertain and we simply listened and felt the music differently because music makes each person feel a unique number of ways.