''iTunes Session'' is the first

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by Australian recording artist

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...

, released through

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

on 18 July 2014. The seven-track EP was recorded in one take at 301 Studios in Sydney. It features rearranged live versions of Mauboy's singles "

Running Back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

", "

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur ma ...

", " Inescapable", " Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" and " Never Be the Same", as well as live cover versions of "

Who's Loving You "Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence ...

" by

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...

and " Thinkin Bout You" by

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

. Upon its release, ''iTunes Session'' debuted at number 25 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

Background and promotion

In June 2014, it was announced that Mauboy would be releasing an ''iTunes Session''

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) exclusively on the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

. She said of the EP's release, "I am thrilled to record my first ''iTunes Session'' to deliver something really special and unique for all my fans worldwide on iTunes." ''iTunes Session'' was recorded live in one take with a full band at 301 Studios in Sydney. In an interview for ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only f ...

'' magazine, Mauboy revealed that she channeled Mariah Carey on the EP, saying: "Everyone knows I'm a Mariah fan and I've drawn a lot of inspiration from watching and listening to her live performances." She also added that Carey's live version of

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

's " I'll Be There" had "a vocal rawness" in it that she wanted to showcase on the EP. It was noted that the EP would see Mauboy join the likes of

Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning receive ...

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

and

Lykke Li Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), known as Lykke Li (), is a Swedish singer. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, dream pop and Electronic music, electronic. Her debut studio album, ''Youth Novels'', was released in 2008 ...

who have also released ''iTunes Session'' EPs in the past. The seven-track EP was released on 18 July 2014. It contains rearranged live versions of Mauboy's hit singles "

", "

", " Inescapable", " Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" and " Never Be the Same", as well as live cover versions of

' "

" and

's " Thinkin Bout You". In an interview for Spotlight Report, Mauboy stated that she chose to record "Thinkin Bout You" because she "felt really connected" to the song and was amazed by how "musically intelligent" Ocean is. As part of the promotion for ''iTunes Session'', Mauboy performed on ''

The Dan & Maz Show ''The Dan & Maz Show'' was an Australian breakfast radio show with Dan Debuf and Maz Compton. The show aired on weekend mornings from 7am until 9am with music and daily topic discussions and special guests. It has previously aired as a breakfast ...

'' (15 July 2014) and ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

'' (22 July 2014). To coincide with the EP's release, she took over as the radio host for Nova FM on 20 July 2014 from 1.00pm to 3:00pm.

Reception

Marcus Floyd from ''

Renowned for Sound ''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a pri ...

'' gave ''iTunes Session'' four-and-a-half out of five stars and praised Mauboy's vocals on "Inescapable", "Burn", "Never Be the Same" and "Who's Loving You". He also described the whole arrangement on "Running Back" as "genius" and noted that Mauboy "tackles Frank Ocean's 'Thinkin Bout You' with more justice than the original." Floyd called the EP "a masterpiece" and wrote that the songs "shine bright and give listeners a familiar listening experience in unfamiliar territory." For the issue dated 28 July 2014, ''iTunes Session'' debuted at number 25 on the

and became the second highest new entry that week. The EP fell out of the chart's top one hundred the following week.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''iTunes Session'' (Jessica Mauboy EP) 2014 debut EPs 2014 live albums Live EPs ITunes Session Jessica Mauboy albums Sony Music Australia albums Sony Music EPs