Disclaimer: This is a review for Jena Irene Asciutto's debut EP "Innocence". All the thoughts expressed in this post are subjective and obviously very biased towards how I feel about it. I'm in no way affiliated with any company. Review after the jump!
Earlier in the week I said this was a very good month for fans of powerhouse Idol contestants who were robbed and I completely forgot about Jena Irene Ascuitto's debut EP (which ironically inspired me to start reviewing past Idol's work). So yes, you have your powerhouse vocalists (Pia & Jessica), your groovy/bluezy/soulful (Haley Reinhart) and you have your inspirational, POWERHOUSE, groovy & soulful rocker, Miss Jena Irene Ascuitto. Jena. Not Jenna, Jena, as she has to remind some people (like everyone).
Overall, this is an amazing piece of art. It's inspirational while not shying away from some dark material that makes you think. Her voice is in top form and I really admire how reliant it is on strings in the production. Every song is packed with a violin, which sort of confused me at first when I initially heard "Unbreakable" but made sense as I listened to the entire EP.
01. INNOCENCE
The second the instrumental started, I knew this was the perfect opening track to Jena's EP. From that to the background vocals she provide, it's all just so Jena. I think if you're a fan of her you'll get what I mean. It's the perfect way to open up the EP. Her voice soars as she sings about having her innocence taken from her. 8.5/10
02. YOU GOTTA HELP ME
Once again, I'm in love with the production on this song about finding herself. There's a point where she goes into her head voice, which intrigued me because I had never really heard her do that before. And those strings just elegantly wove everything together. 7.5/10
03. NUMB
I LOVE the old school vibe at the beginning of the song (and it's obviously the undertone to the entire song, it's just highlighted at the beginning. Once again, the strings play a big part in allowing us to feel out the music. The bridge gave me goosebumps as she passionately reminds us that although some days are better, you just have to let go. The standout moment of the track was hearing Harry Connick Jr mention "what sounds like a speech impediment" towards the end. 9/10
04. WAIT
"Do you know how many fucking people call me Jena everyday?" This song sounds influenced by Amy Winehouse a little bit throughout. I also have to admit it was a little amusing to here Jena laugh off stealing someone's man. It's song like these on the EP that make me appreciate hearing a little bit more of Jena's creativity. Honestly, it was a fun, funky track about moving on. "*giggles* Such a bitch...". 8.5/10
05. UNBREAKABLE
This song isn't new to anyone who followed Jena's American Idol journey. She sung this in Hollywood week and during the Wildcard round, which got her through to the Top 13 I should add. The lyrical content of this song is just extraordinarily moving, reminding whoever is singing the song that they are "Unbreakable" no matter what comes there way. Another very interesting thing about this song is what it's actually about. If I'm not mistaken, she stated in an interview with Michael Slezak of TVLine that she was inspired by a girl who was going through a rough time. And even though the girl was apparently "not that nice" to her (lol, a bitch) she was still inspired by it. I'm grateful for that because we got an incredibly inspiring, strong track to close out an incredibly strong debut EP from a girl who is going places. 9.5/10
EP GRADE: A-
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| Check out her debut album "Cold Fame" later this year! |
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