After a string of three consecutive top ten hits off his self-titled debut album in 2010, R&B/pop artist Jason Derulo is back just a year later with the release of his second full length studio album titled, Future History. Preceded by two official top twenty hit singles, “Don’t Wanna Go Home” and “It Girl”, as well as four other promotional tracks, the album is of the same structure and style of Derulo’s previous effort. While the artist’s vocals and experimentation with samples should be commended, the album unfortunately proves nothing new and falls into the category of generic material that creates great singles, but an unimpressive whole effort.
The album begins with the official first single, “Don’t Wanna Go Home”, a track that incorporates samples from two other hit songs in order to create one cohesive and catchy dance song. The song works because instead of relying on the samples, Derulo is able to make them his own in a unique and interesting way. The track shows the artist’s talent in the pop and dance genres. The singles play back to back as “It Girl” and its whistling intro come through the speakers. While the chorus and addictive hook are the greatest aspects of the track, the verses play out like any other love song on the radio today. The vocals are nice and will probably seduce any girl that listens, but I feel there is not much to the song. “Breathing” starts off slow and sweet with Derulo singing lyrics about the girl that he holds close to his heart. The song is a little bland at the beginning, but that all changes when the tempo is amped up and the chorus hits. The artist is able to hit some very high notes towards the middle which are impressive, an example of true talent. Even though Derulo’s vocals sound amazing, they have never been able to come across in a full ballad. This does not stop the singer from trying again on “Be Careful”, which features a supporting clapping beat. I can give the track an A for effort, but unfortunately the song falls flat and is not really memorable at all. I feel the song just needed more time in its creation. On “Make It Up as We Go”, Derulo sounds as if he is mumbling and relies on a pulsating beat and impressive production to bring the track across. The song is just generic and was strictly made for the clubs, but even then the song does not do its job. Nothing about the track intrigued me and I feel that it brought the quality of the album down. Derulo takes another stab at a true ballad and actually succeeds with “Fight for You”. The lyrics contain real meaning and are able to make a strong impact on the listener when it comes to love and relationships. The chorus on the track is a very bright moment, probably one of the brightest on the entire album. A Jamaican influence is detected throughout, makes it a bit different.
On the second half of the album, “Pick Up the Pieces” begins with an intro that is annoying yet attention grabbing. With a few catchy “hey na na’s”, Derulo breezes through some clichéd yet effective lines that explain the story of a shattered heart. The song falls under the “good” side of the project because the artist does not try too hard, but allow simplicity and talent to do their magic. The album continues with “Givin’ Up”, a track that falls in the middle of the pack when compared to the rest of the track list. The song is decent, but the album would have been fine if it did not make the final cut. Derulo claims he is giving up his player life for one girl as he lets out some seductive signs on the innocent song. Derulo tries a different style of delivery as “Bleed Out” comes up next in line. Once again, the hook and chorus are strong and hold the entire track together, but the verses needed more work. I feel that the song could have been real great; however, everything did not come together effortlessly like a song should. Derulo’s vocals are a highlight as usual, but the finished product is nothing amazing or special. Another promotional single gets the chance to shine, but “That’s My Shhh” falls harder than any other song I have heard recently. The track tries to be a generic sex song, but it cannot even do that right. I have never been so harsh on a track; however, nothing about this horrible song works. If the song was meant to turn someone on, I think it will have the opposite effect on the listener. The tempo thankfully gets turned up again on the simply titled “X”. The material may be very amateur and bland, but this is an example of where production saves the entire song. The track sounds as if it were written by a female artist with the pulsating and repetitive chorus, but Derulo actually turns it into a fairly enjoyable song. The artist confesses he is still in love with his ex, who isn’t? The album closes out with “Dumb”, a track where Derulo gives an impressive performance that is reminiscent to the late Michael Jackson. The song deals with issues of betrayal and heartbreak and the artist tackles them very well and allows the listener to feel what he feels. The track is a great way to finish the effort, a simple piece that evokes emotion during every second.
Future History is a decent effort, but it never fully identifies Derulo as an individual artist. The album borrows from too many songs and tries to embody different genres; the results are not so exceptional and pleasurable. No one can deny that Derulo has an amazing set of vocal pipes, however, I feel like they are being wasted on generic fluff that will just keep listeners away. Is the album better that the artist’s debut? No, but it is an effort that showcases that there is still some talent hidden below the unneeded production and chaos. For some standout tracks and vocals that would anyone jealous, the album receives a 78%.
Tracks to Hear: "Breathing", "Fight for You" and "Dumb"
If you are a Jason Derulo fan, then pick up the album on Amazon or iTunes today. If not, download my Tracks to Hear, you won't be disappointed!
Jason Derulo - Fight For You
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