drowning, the debut mixtape from 18-year-old alternative/pop artist, Jessie Murph marks the beginning of a promising career from a young artist with a voice that is well beyond her years. Carried by moody, simplistic beats, acoustic guitar, powerfully vulnerable lyrics and an iconic, soulful, gritty rasp, drowning is comprised of eleven tracks that will pull at your heartstrings and make you really feel something.
Kicking off with the intimate, stunning opener, “Always Been You”, Jessie Murph pulls absolutely no punches with drowning. The gorgeous love song quickly establishes her dynamic vocal range in soulful lows and soaring highs as well as her sonic range in quick fire verses and soaring choruses. It is followed perfectly by the piano-driven ballad, “Where Do You Go”.
Throughout drowning, Jessie Murph effortlessly showcases her ability to adapt to just about any sound or genre. A sonic chameleon, she shines on the country-tinged “They Leave”, which borrows its main melody from Dolly Parton’s Jolene, meanwhile “Where Do You Go” showcases her impeccable vocal flow and “Drunk In The Bathtub” proves that she can’t be overshadowed by larger, arena-ready sounds, either.
Highlights on the mixtape are definitely in the more emotionally charged songs like the introspective, “If I Died Last Night”, the heartbreaking, bitter “While You’re At It” and powerful “Pray”. “What Happened To Ryan” is an absolute standout, telling the story of a friend who is struggling with their mental health from the perspective of someone who wants nothing more than to help them get better.
Perfectly bookending the mixtape is the closing track, “Would’ve” – yet another sweet love song. Throughout the entirety of drowning, Jessie Murph proves again and again that she has this uncanny ability to take any genre, be it R&B, pop, folk, country or soul – and make it her own. She does so with so much swagger and confidence that it’s almost impossible to believe that this is her first collection of music. And if this is what she can do with a debut, then anything is possible.