How many people can say by age 21 that they have toured and collaborated with Stormzy and Drake before even releasing their debut LP? With her debut LP Lost & Found taking five years to write, it’s no surprise that Jorja Smith’s sophomore follow-up also took half a decade to complete. Written in and inspired by her hometown in Walsall in the West Midlands and produced mainly by DAMEDAME, a different side and more mature record is expected.
Falling or Flying opens with “Try Me”, where a motley of organic drums entwines with jazz-inspired double bass and soothing gospel backing vocals. Subsequent string arrangements and subtle piano add perfection, which explains why this song was the first single released from this album. “She Feels” follows, which opens with a tempo that feels like a slowed-down drum and bass beat. Regretfully, “She Feels” doesn’t blossom as the Lost & Found opener does.
Where “She Feels” struggles to secrete added serotonin, “Little Things” takes this LP with its House music club vibe to a higher carefree realm devoid of woes. Lost & Found is resurrected. Following a skit, a chilled yet poignant collaboration, “Feelings” with J Hus, adds honest and emotive sensitivity. Elsewhere, eighties inspirations are found on the title track as they are on “Go Go Go”. The latter is more upbeat and allows Smith to move away from jazz, soul R&B and house into pop territory. The subsequent song, “Try to Fit In”, is the most emotive lyrically and poignant with haunting backing vocals, but by being just under two minutes, it doesn’t blossom into the masterpiece it had the potential to be.
Humbleness and soothing choral arrangements impress on “Greatest Gift”, which features Lila Iké. Openness and honesty proved a winning formula again with “Broken is the Man”. Three guitar-based songs then follow. The first “Makes Sense” and the third “Lately” are slightly too ubiquitous for an artist as unique as Jorja Smith. However, “Too Many Times” strikes a chord with a dark and haunting ambience. Subtle, brief and distorted strings towards the end make this a classic and the listener is left wanting more, along with a reprise at some point throughout this LP.
A beautiful string introduction opens the playout song “What if my heart beats faster?” This emotive piano-based philosophical song with the occasional broken beat sees Smith demonstrate a broad spectrum of her vocal abilities. Nonetheless, as with “Too Many Times” and “What if my heart beats faster?” strength lies with the strings, which blossom in full bloom towards the last ninety seconds of this track.
Falling or Flying flies high when honest and musically deep and, at times, loose and fancy-free. The songs with these qualities are the most unique and demonstrate that Jorja Smith deserves to stand tall amongst the many A-listers she has collaborated with. On occasions when some of the songs lean towards the banal, they don’t ruin the LP, but they prevent Falling or Flying from being the 2020 classic it had the potential to be. Nonetheless, overall, a different side of Smith was captivated, which harvested a more mature record.
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