Jasmine Battle – Purple Heart [Album]

Jasmine Battle, a fresh-voiced singer who hails from Virginia, elicits a feeling of reserved heartache and a hard-won resilience on her debut album Purple Heart. Although the set is centrally focused on a unifying theme of lost love, Battle successfully manages to inject variety and character into her music.

Fittingly, the record opens with a cut called “Energy” – a tune that has a sweeping, 80’s feel to it and acts as a nice introduction to Jasmine’s sweet, cloud-woven voice. The song can conjure up a very specific scene if you allow it. One where our songbird sits in a lonely bedroom and pens the track’s lyrics in the form of a “Dear John” letter – all while barely holding herself together through a rush of emotions. “Slip Away” displays a songwriting style that feels even more confessional. The focus is on getting distinct points across, even if it means coloring outside of the lines of traditional R&B song structure. The tune – which flaunts a spacey, floating-on-air beat – is observant, scrutinizing, and empowering. Showing off the rich and tender qualities of her voice on “Everything“, we are given an unguarded and aching ballad centered around a woman who has to take an emotional inventory as she sifts through the ashes of a burnt out love affair. Adding a shot of fierceness to the album, the single “Revenge” casts Jasmine in more youthful and dramatically chic light as she reclaims her gangsta from all the childish lames that chose to play childish games with her heart. If you’re looking for a radio-ready, crossover number on Purple Heart, then this is your selection. It’s a welcomed bit of brashness and bravado among the more sobering tracks that make up the album. “The Key” delivers a moment of calm after the full-force gale of “Revenge” and allows the singer to dip back into her tenderly delivered R&B bag – giving the audience a clear-headed and purposely detached breakup song with a soothing vibe to it. Hitting fans with another shot of swaggering hip-hop soul on “Boo Please“, the ambitious performer takes time to brush past mistakes off of her shoulders and sashay into the spotlight with an infectious air of fun and freedom. “Heartbreak” closes the set on a tender, almost throwback, note as Jasmine recalls the sentimental “I get stronger with each tear” ballads that dominated black radio in the 80’s and 90’s.

As I said earlier, Purple Heart spends the lion’s share of it’s time reevaluating past relationships in a earnest and open-hearted way. And as an introductory piece, Jasmine Battle delivers a solid body of work that underscores her talents as a singer, a songwriter, and a storyteller. With this release, the up and coming vocalist has built and project that flows naturally and masterfully balances her appreciation for classic and contemporary R&B music.

You can show your support by purchasing the album Purple Heart from your favorite online music service below as well as by checking out more from Jasmine Battle when you connect with her online via the links listed.

vibes – bittersweet, heartache, easy flowing, earnest, cathartic, affirming, graceful, inspirational, artful, healing, delicate, subtle, sophisticated

Stream & buy Jasmine Battle’s music on…
( Amazon | Bandcamp | Deezer | Google Play | iTunes | Spotify | Tidal )

Connect with Jasmine Battle on…
( Facebook | Instagram | Official Site | ReverbNation | Soundcloud | Twitter | YouTube )