Stars: 5/5
After her solo debut with her brand new label featuring “Where In The World” back in 2020, Grammy Award winner Joelle James is back with another promising hit. James released her single “Apply Pressure” this May. The song features a great summer sound with a hint of 90s R&B.
James is known for being pretty contributive to the R&B genre with a peak in her career being the recognition and appraisal of Chris Brown back in 2014. Since then, she has been active in writing songs for artists such as Tamar Braxton and even contributed in writing Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up,” which landed James her first Grammy in 2019.
“Apply Pressure” was a really great listen for many reasons, however the main focus of the song is, of course, the vocals. The beginning of the song starts off with a very bright, upbeat melody that gives off that 90s vibe as mentioned before. With an enhancement of the addictive beat found in Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” the song becomes just as fun to listen to. Once James starts in on the melody, I automatically felt the need to turn the volume up. I was actually blown away by the chorus. James gives an amazing vocal performance that matches really well with the beat as well as the lyrics of holding onto a broken relationship. The song gives a very relaxed, windows-down kind of vibe, perfect for playing on repeat this summer.
With a new album dropping in July, Joelle James is definitely a star that should be in everyone’s playlists. “Apply Pressure” is just a snippet of what kind of new music to expect from her in the future. The song is available for streaming on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Music, and be sure to catch her new album coming out soon.