Jorja Smith Drops Addictive 'Be Right Back' EP

It seems weird to me that Jorja Smith's project isn't being talked about much in my echo chamber. I understand that we’ve all been flooded with some amazing music as of late, but personally, nothing has drawn me in (and back in) more than Jorja’s Be Right Back EP.

Recently, I've been finding myself appreciating the intricacies and tone of contemporary R&B over the latest hip hop. The world has paused and people are hurting more than ever - and as much as I love the aspirational bars about money, teamwork, and community, something about the primal emotions of pain, jealousy, and addiction, just have my ear for longer.

Jorja Smith On The Cover of Be Right Back — Jorja Smith On The Cover of *Be Right Back*

Be Right Back was marketed as a "throw-away" project, made up of music that Jorja felt like she had to make and share in between her debut project, and her highly anticipated follow-up, which we still don't know much about.

“It’s called Be Right Back because it’s just something I want my fans to have right now. This isn’t an album and these songs wouldn’t have made it. If I needed to make these songs, then someone needs to hear them too.”

If these are “throw-aways”, I can't imagine what would classify as a “keeper”.

Although the production of the album sounds like it was "easy to make", based on minimal instrumentation, and lack of risks, I know it was anything but. To make something this simple, sound this good, takes effort.

And on Jorja's end, to share writing that feels this close to home, must have been painfully difficult. In “Gone”, the character sings about losing a brother to the prison system, before wondering if him being gone is the best thing for their family… I don't know if I could entertain that idea myself, let alone share it with the world. And honestly, I don't even know if she's speaking from the voice of a character that’s not her. Plus, even if she was, none of us know how different that character’s life is from hers.

This project deserves to be talked about. These are stories of love, pain, fear, and rejection - themes that we are all familiar with, but for some reason, the stories on this project don't sound like distant tales, they sound like confessions.

Again, I'm not sure if any of the narratives shared are ones that Jorja has experienced, but her ability to make me feel like they are, is the reason that I keep coming back.

These feel like stories that are being shared with me, and less like stories that I’m meant to “relate to”.

Jorja captivates me, and as the project ends, I’m ready to hear her stories again and again. She leaves me wanting more - almost as if she’s dropped a bomb on me then tells me, she'll "Be Right Back"... Wait.