Home > Baltimore Music > CD Review > Jesse McCartney, 'Departure'

Backstory: 21-year-old Jesse McCartney’s first taste of fame came as a kid playing the son of Adam Chandler, the pivotal villain on “All My Children.” Through a plot twist that mirrored his real life, the soap helped him transition seamlessly into his next gig as a member of the fleeting and minorly successful Dream Street in 2000. Following in the footsteps of other blonde boybanders Justin Timberlake and Nick Carter, McCartney set off as a solo artist, releasing “Beautiful Soul” in 2004 and “Right Where You Want Me” in 2006. Both cemented his status as a “TRL”/Nickelodeon/Disney heartthrob.

Why you should care: Well, there are those who might get really bored waiting for the next Timberlake album to come out. And with the help of hit writers and producers like Tricky Stewart and the Dream (Rihanna’s “Umbrella”), the Clutch (Timbaland’s “Way I Are”) and Sean Garrett (Chris Brown’s “Run It!”), McCartney crafts a fizzy R&B/pop alternative as a tide-over.

Verdict: This is certainly a departure in both sound and more mature lyrical content for the previously guitar-leaning McCartney, but it hardly departs from pop radio or Timberlake’s solo path. It doesn’t all feel copycat, though; “Freaky” and “Relapse” both have some extra grit and bottom end to counterbalance some of the airier offerings and are genuinely listenable.

X-Factor: McCartney has experienced even greater success as a songwriter. He co-wrote “Bleeding Love,” a number one hit in more than two dozen countries (including the U.S.) for U.K. star Leona Lewis.

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