REVIEWSJessie J, ‘Who You Are’

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• SPIN Rating:7 of 10

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Release Date: April 12, 2011
Label: Lava/Universal/Republic

The U.K. is well-stocked with twentysomething female pop singers, but chameleonic firecracker Jesse Cornish bears little resemblance to Amy, Lily, Adele, Duffy, Florence, or Katy B. On her debut full-length, the 22-year-old songwriter (see Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A.") nails a variety of roles: crotch-grabbing punker, '70s soul diva, Kelly Clarkson–style bellower. Her voice can rival Christina Aguilera's for sheer force, but she keeps it on a tighter leash. And "Who's Laughing Now," her update of X-tina's "Beautiful," is such a tart kiss-off, you can almost hear Jessie's neck swiveling.