"Can't Take That Away From Me"

You may remember JoJo as "the teenage white girl with a soulful voice" back when she came out with her hit single, "Leave (Get Out) and her debut self-titled album.

She later came out with her sophomore album, "The High Road," not too long after, mostly with soft ballads, with a stronger pop feel more so than R&B. However, fans missed the soulful feel from the 1st album, which featured a remake of "Weak" by SWV.


Jojo (Joanna Levasque) disappeared from the scene for a while, but now she's back. With a mixtape. 


Yes, a mixtape.


"Can't take that away from me," is Jojo's latest project, which I completely fell in love with even after skimming the tracks. 


Jojo shows personality through this music; her name appears on the credits of every song. 


These strategically organized tracks start off with a fun, upbeat feel with "Can't take that away from me,"  that R&B feel that her fans love, as well as a mixture of other genres. Variety.


Jojo starts off the 2nd track, "Running on Empty" by saying "I'm a PYT with an attitude," as you can clearly tell throughout the CD.


Midway through the mixtape we see a side of Jojo we haven't seen in the past. "Just a Dream" talks of a day of a verge of defeat, singing softly "Take it away, I gotta bottle, I gotta finish, Take it away, Take it from me, cuz if you don't I might drown in it." The song ends with her rising above, 
"If it's in His plans for me, I will win, I'll just dream until then."


The mixtape then takes a turn towards the 80s, with back to back tracks "What You Like," with a retro beat, and "In The Dark" which puts you in the mind of early Madonna. (REDD's FAVES. XOXO)


Of course there is a ballad; "Boy without a heart," which is pretty much self-explanatory.


The CD then ends with "All I want is Everything" a 'sky is the limit' song about living out dreams. 


I give this mixtape 4 out of 5 reddlips. It was a perfect mix of pop, R&B, rock, and retro. Every track took an unexpected turn. It told a story, complete with a beginning, middle and end. It definitely showed off those vocals, and a raw side of Jojo that we are just beginning to see.  Definitely looking forward to that official album! Check out the mixtape and complete tracklisting here:


http://rap-up.bandcamp.com/album/cant-take-that-away-from-me


And Jojo's Blog:


http://translucentbrownsugar.tumblr.com/


XoXo,