Jessica Lowndes’ new album 88 is the latest chapter in a long and varied career. It may prove to be one of the conclusive heights of her journey. The eight-song collection primarily leans in an electronic pop direction with at least one notable detour. However, Lowndes uncovers a host of possibilities within the electronic pop realm that keeps this outing from ever sounding one-note or bland. She’s an experienced music and entertainment veteran but deserves considerable kudos for the seemingly evergreen freshness of her material. There is nothing about the songs on 88 that comes across as cynical or plotted out. It surges with youthful vitality, and its plain-spoken songwriting style is sure to connect with a bevy of listeners.
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“My Everything” begins with persistent electric piano providing the musical underpinning for Lowndes’ first lines. Low-key synth flourishes also augment the opening. She achieves an attention-grabbing balance of atmospherics and simmering tension that begins to find release with the song’s pre-chorus. The synthesizers swell, and Lowndes’ voice gathers newfound intensity that blossoms in full of the first refrain. “My Everything” sets a template for many of the album’s remaining tracks without ever sounding cookie-cutter in design. It is a love song with mock-symphonic conceits that many listeners will find appealing.
Her penchant for involving atmospherics continues with “Sundown”. However, it’s a thwarted love song this time, and you can’t help but be impressed with how Lowndes conveys a sense of survival and triumph through her phrasing. Keyboards are prominent accompaniment, and the song’s construction embraces nuance – we do not hear any percussion until nearly the halfway point. The “live” drums and brisk pace of “Sad But I Don’t Care” break with the careful tempo of the album’s opening pair of songs. Also, it’s much more outright melodic, rather than pursuing a pseudo music of the sphere’s trajectory like the first two tracks. The song’s keyboard and synthesizer playing rates among the album’s most inventive contributions.
Synths continue bringing themselves to bear on “Never Let You Go”. It otherwise breaks off into a new direction. Electric and acoustic guitar are widespread throughout this track, and Lowndes’ voice plays off with every bit of the same dramatic effect in this different setting. “Tug of War” is one of 88’s most dramatic musical moments. It relies on keyboards and synthesizers, like many other cuts on this outing, but the arrangement is more complex. She opens slowly before expanding the song’s pace as it progresses. Lowndes adjusts her voice accordingly, and the lower register performance she supplies illustrates the elasticity of her singing.
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“We Come Alive” is a rousing finale. The songwriting keeps showing an impressive command of dynamics that extends to her singing. There’s great appeal in her breathy yet authoritative delivery, and it drives her to explore a great deal of her vocal range. It is the perfect song out of these eight tracks to bring down 88’s final curtain and conclusively proves there’s ample gasoline left in Jessica Lowndes’ creative tank.
Garth Thomas