Happy new year! We kick off 2012 with a relatively new artist, Jessie J, a British singer who released her first album last February. A few months prior she'd had a hit with "Do It Like a Dude" in the UK, but the first the U.S. heard of her was with her second single, "Price Tag," the original of which includes a rap by B.o.B.
This live version (sans B.o.B.) is taken from the highly respected British music show Later...with Jools Holland. The simple, upbeat reggae feel is accented by Jessie's voice, which she confidently slides all over the song's template, adeptly filling in the silence left by B.o.B.'s absence with audience participation, full-on R&B runs, and a dramatic retard ending. Jessie J is easy to listen to, from the quiver of her vibrato to the lightheartedness of her lyrics, and she fits into the trend of young singers -- including Adele (23), Pink (32), and Bruno Mars (26), among others -- who are reinterpreting soul music for a new generation.
I can't find any news of a sophomore album, but Jessie J will appear as a judge in the 2012 season of The Voice UK. Hopefully she'll lay down some new tracks once she's done with that project.
This song is also included in the latest Wii dance game Just Dance 3, which my young relations introduced me to over Christmas weekend. It's fun for the whole family, though cute songs like this are listed along with hip-hop and rap selections that I've only heard in the Chicago clubs. The choreography for those is pretty entertaining. (As an aside, any videos that were taken over Christmas weekend are officially banned from the Internet. Got that, family?)
What artists do you think will be big in 2012?
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