''#LoveJo'' is the debut

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 American recording artist JoJo. It was released for digital download on February 14, 2014, as a free

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

gift for JoJo's fans for all their support over the years. It is JoJo's first official release since she was released from her contract with

Blackground Records Blackground Records 2.0 (legal name Blackground Records, LLC, formerly known as Blackground Records) is an American record label founded and owned by Jomo and Barry Hankerson. Initially named Blackground Enterprises, the label switched its name t ...

and signed to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. The four-track EP includes three covers of various classic songs including songs of Atlantic-affiliated artists

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

and

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

Composition

The extended play contributed the overall elements of sounds between pop and R&B; however, the EP dips into other genres such

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

. The EP opens with a spoken intro which is a poem, written by author Aeni, while R&B singer

Marsha Ambrosius Marsha Ambrosius-Billups (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album '' Late Nights & Early Mornings'' in M ...

produces the tracks melody. JoJo speaks in a sultry voice "that sucks you right in", JoJo says. "Rest your head and close your eyes / Everything will be okay / For when you wake with the sweet sunrise / It will be a brand new day." The track that contains a cover was this

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

y- R&B song "

Caught Up in the Rapture "Caught Up in the Rapture" is a 1986 ballad song by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker. It was released as the follow-up single after " Sweet Love" from her album ''Rapture''. Chart performance "Caught Up in the Rapture" was Baker's third top ...

", which was recorded by American R&B singer

that was included from her second album ''

Rapture The rapture is an Christian eschatology, eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an Eschatology, end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurre ...

'' (1986). The song was written by Gary Glenn and Dianne Quander, while

Da Internz Da Internz are a production team originating from Chicago, Illinois. The duo is composed of Marcos " Kosine" Palacios and Ernest Tuo Clark. Da Internz describe their sound as "gourmet ratchet", meaning imperfect but excellent. Background Both ...

handled the song's production.

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

said the song "dissolves into glitchy loops" before transitioning into the next track, a cover of

' song " Take Me Home". ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine called JoJo's version "a clear standout" on the EP, continuing calling it "all militant stomp buried under ambient noise; her voice soars and crashes over the glitchy, stuttering beat. It's not the most obvious love song, but who cares – it's good." The song lyrics refer to a patient in a mental institution, and it is based on the novel '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. The EP finishes with JoJo's "gospel-inflected" rendition of the "spiritual" 1991 song "Glory" inspired by opera singer

Kathleen Battle Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...

. Produced by JoJo's long-time friend and vocal coach Stevie Mackey, "Glory" sees JoJo's "soothing vocals soar and really bring out the goosebumps teasing us of her outstanding talent and what is to come".

Promotion

Following its surprise release, JoJo performed tracks from the EP for the first time live at the 2014

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

music festival on March 15. her second live performance of the tracks was on March 22, 2014, during VH1's Save the Music Foundation's "Family Day", and that same night at

Perez Hilton Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...

's birthday party.

Critical reception

Overall the extended play has received rave reviews from music critics. Sam Lansky from ''

'' magazine said that the EP sees JoJo "interpreting classic songs with inventive production and, as ever, chill-inducing vocals". He noted that JoJo's time away from the limelight, due to her constant label drama, has given her "the raw talent to rule 2014". In writing for Idolator, Christina Lee said that the EP "is respectful of R&B tradition and is tastefully modern at the same time". Joe Hopkins of UK online magazine Hit the Floor gave the mixtape a 9/10 rating, writing, "JoJo's voice has clearly developed from her '

Leave (Get Out) "Leave (Get Out)" is the debut single of American singer JoJo from her self-titled debut studio album (2004). It was released as the album's lead single on February 24, 2004. Produced by Danish production duo Soulshock & Karlin, the song became ...

' days but still remains light and delicate." In the review Hopkins said, "The shifts between falsetto and the runs are exquisite. However, not to forget the production from Da Internz which is completely ingenious." ''

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

'' magazine's Liza Darwin also went on to compare the EP to JoJo's early beginnings, stating "It's a far cry from 'Leave (Get Out),' but we're not mad about it... The bottom line? This girl is good, and we can't wait to hear what she's serving up next." KempireRadio called the EP a "reminder of what we have been missing from the music scene".

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from JoJo's Soundcloud page. *JoJo – lead vocals *

– producer *Brian Ziff –

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

, photography *Lisa Zogalis – hair stylist *Chrissy Zogalis – make up *Joey Thao – stylist *Lee England Jr. – violin *Stevie Mackey – vocal production, producer *Affordable Healthcare – music *Kevin Randolph – piano *Tony "Chicago" Russell – bass *Zach Nicholls –

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

, mixing *

– additional production *Mark Pelli – guitar

References

External links

The Mixtape
on Audiomack {{Authority control 2014 debut EPs Albums free for download by copyright owner Albums produced by Da Internz Atlantic Records EPs JoJo (singer) albums