Rating 3.5 / 5
JENNIE originally rose to fame as the main rapper of the K-pop girl group, BLACKPINK, nearly nine years ago. Now, she’s making a name for herself as a solo artist with her first, highly anticipated album, “Ruby,” released on March 7. Not only is “Ruby” a versatile album featuring many different genres, but it also ranges vastly in quality from award-worthy songs to those that should have never been released.
“Ruby” features 15 tracks with pre-released songs “Mantra” and “Love Hangover” featuring Dominic Fike. The album also features Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis, and Grammy-winning artist Doechii.
Some tracks were a hit for me; some were a far miss. One that surely deserves a notable mention is a sweet, R&B track titled “Damn Right,” featuring Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis. JENNIE and Uchis voice a woman impressing a guy, while Gambino voices a man and his own thoughts of her. The song was essentially ear candy with JENNIE and Uchis’ heavenly vocals, and Gambino’s versatility in his rap and singing ability.
Another track that I enjoyed was “like JENNIE,” the fourth lead single of the album. The lyrics of the song basically encapsulate the overarching theme of “Ruby” — Jennie finding confidence in herself. The song stands out because of JENNIE’s rap in her second verse; “like JENNIE” showcases her skill as a rapper, unlike many other songs in the album that layer autotune over her rapping.
One last song that impressed me was “ExtraL,” featuring Doechii. The song released right before National Women’s History Month seems poetic, as it encourages women to be confident and empowered within themselves. The chorus is addictive with the catchy line “Do my ladies run this?” — and JENNIE and Doechii certainly ran it with their flow.
However, I believe that “Ruby” begins to fall off in quality on the second half of the album with forgettable and underwhelming songs such as “Seoul City” and “Starlight.” Other songs, such as “ZEN,” overuse synth and sound like an experiment gone wrong, when JENNIE’s raw raps would’ve been more than sufficient for quality. These songs did not add anything special to the album, and the listening experience may have been even better without them.
Overall, “Ruby” is a mediocre first album with some redeeming tracks and more pitfalls. Despite the variety of genres between, ranging from R&B to hip-hop to pop, the album is surprisingly cohesive. The overall tone and message of the album oozes confidence and has a nice message of women empowerment. However, I do wish that there was more of an opportunity for JENNIE’s rapping skills to shine.