I absolutely loved this CD, and I shouldn't have, for reasons that should become obvious.

The CD is aptly named, as Jesse McCartney makes an unquestionable departure from his earlier offerings, and distances himself--perhaps permanently?--from the bubble gum world of Disney. (That's almost always a good thing, artistically.)

I didn't expect to like this CD. My only exposure to Jesse McCartney was "Beautiful Soul", a song I happened upon recently, and enjoyed immensely. I was surprised when I downloaded "Leavin'", and liked it, as it had a distinct hip-hop flavor (although still subtly infused with pop), and I've never been a fan of hip-hop. Perhaps I'm getting too old. My grandparents thought Elvis Presley was the devil, I thought he was the King of Rock and Roll, so...I don't know. After hearing "Leavin'" a few times, I liked it, a lot. Then I did something I knew I shouldn't: I looked up the lyrics.

I'm hard of hearing, so lyrics aren't always a big part of a song for me. I hear the music first, and discern the lyrics later, if ever. The lyrics to "Leavin'" were-- peculiar. Perhaps it's an age thing again, but much of the lyrics were incomprehensible to me. And that's when I had a copy of them to read along with the music.

(Before I go here, remember that I'm giving the CD a 5-star review...)

"Hey baby girl, I've been watching you all day (all day x3)
Man that thing you got behind you is amazing (amazing x3)
You make me want to take you out and let it rain (let it rain x3)
I know you got a man but this is what you should say"

So, if I understand this correctly, the girl has a great, *cough*, rear-end, and that makes him want to take her out and "let it rain". I get the great rear-end part, but "let it rain"? I have no clue.

*Sigh*

When I was a teen, I swore I would never outgrow music as my parents had done. I would be one of those cool DJs who, at 65, were spinning today's records on AM stations (this was the early 80s), and liking what they heard. That hasn't happened.

But it did happen *here*. Other parts of the CD are much more hip-hop than "Leavin'", and I liked some of them better. All of the songs are strong, and if it were my choice, I'd have had a difficult time picking the first single. And Jesse's voice is terrific all the way through. On earlier offerings, it's sounded strained in places. He's obviously put some work in, vocally.

This is a 5-star review from someone who really shouldn't have liked the CD. I doubt anyone reading these reviews will be anything other than "JesseMac" fans, but for the odd chance that you're reading this and you hate "JesseMac", and you hate hip-hop, and for some reason you're wondering whether to give this a listen, I say YES. Give it a listen. It's incredibly mature music (note that I said music, and not lyrics--that's not age; I'm a writer, and things need to make sense, even lyrics to hip-hop songs).

Some have said that he's a sell-out for changing his style. Maybe he is. I would argue, however, that he isn't. He's 21 years old, so it's impossible for him to have cemented a style. Moreover, this is the first CD that he's had as much of a hand in writing and producing. He certainly sounds likes he's having fun. Who's to judge?

Also, btw - KUDOS to him for not having a Zac Efron look-alike "emo" haircut. Every "tween" looks exactly the same these days, because they have the same hairstyle. (This, of course, has nothing to do with his music. Still. Nice to see that he's taking risks.)

I'm sorry, but Departure is quite a disappointment. The lyrics don't sound as original and fresh as his last album. In my opinion, his best album so far is "Right Where You Want Me." His voice and the whole sound of all the songs are wannabe Justin Timberlake tunes. He can't pull off what JT has on his current album. Jesse, as a big fan, I'm really not happy with this album. You should stick to rock pop because that's where your voice really belongs! I hope the next album doesn't sound like nails scratching across the chalkboard.

After all his schmaltzy pop songs, Jesse McCartney has joined the "dark side" - literally (comic relief). Anyways, McCartney has always had a phenomenal voice in my eyes, though tween pop songs like "Beautiful Soul", "She's No You", and "Right Where You Want Me" never showcased his pipes. Sure, he had to go that route for several reasons: (1) he was a boy bander in the short lived Dream Street, whom most people never listened to (2) he was signed to squeaky-clean, pop-centric label Hollywood Records, and (3)he was only 16 or so when "Beautiful Soul" dropped. But now, little Jesse is a man... well he's turned 21. He still possesses a boyish tenor, which has gained more oomph than his "Beautiful Soul" days. Boyish or not, even with his newly dyed black hair, the innuendo on DEPARTURE, accentuated by McCartney's killer falsetto, is quite alarming for the former squeaky clean popster. Of course, we all new after his sex-hungry teenager role on the short-lived Summerland that he would eventually become Justin Timberlake #2. I say, welcome to the "dark side" Jesse.

"Leavin'" is an excellent single for McCartney, even if it couldn't catapult a better first sales week from the heartthrob. Produced by The-Dream, the relationship between it and The-Dream's many penned hits is evidenced by the repetitive, sometimes non-sensical hook. Here, "Leavin'" is certainly the high-point at this point of McCartney's career. More important to note is that R&B certainly better showcases McCartney's vocal talents than schmaltzy pop songs like "Beautiful Soul". Honestly, who these days cares about "Beautiful Soul"? Most people think more sexually, which is exactly what McCartney simulates in the video clip for "Leavin'" - the little tiger.

"It's Over" is a nice ballad and Jesse sings it exceptionally well. Instantly here, you can see why comparisons can be made to Justin Timberlake, accentuated by McCartney's rich falsetto. "Rock You" featuring Sean Garrett progresses McCartney a bit too far perhaps, but it is enjoyable. The main problem with it, and later track "Makeup" is that they are bit too out there. Again, both are enjoyable, ultimately. "How Do You Sleep" returns McCartney to the high road and also finds McCartney saying "'damn' those sweet memories". "Damn!?!?!" Can you believe it? Even more intriguing is my second favorite of the album, "Into Ya" in which McCartney talks about girls having sex with him! "Damn those sweet memories" of Jessie singing about a "beautiful soul", he has grown up! But back to the context of the album itself, "Into Ya" is fantastic, by all accounts.

"My Baby" is another solid number, while "Told You So" is another big ballad. "Told You So" isn't as good as "It's Over" but it works very well overall. "Relapse" features more top-notch production and great vocals from McCartney. My one quibble is that "Relapse" is a bit too busy, though less so than overproduced numbers such as "Rock You" or "Makeup". "Runnin'" is solid, but average in comparison to the best of DEPARTURE. "Freaky" possesses a killer drum groove and proves to be overall enjoyable. "Not Your Enemy" is OK, but perhaps a bit too big for Jesse, at this point - man or not. The production is good though.

Overall, DEPARTURE is McCartney's best album. It isn't perfect, but it is currently his "masterwork". Hopefully, McCartney will keep working hard and his next release will surpass this one. And hopefully by then, all the schmaltz will disappear. We can only hope. 4 stars.

I always check for new music Mondays to see who is releasing what, but I didn't see anybody I knew so I got ready to close the website when the beat to "Leavin" dropped. I immediately started playing the full album, and I'm digging this guy's voice, melody, and the beats. From reading the other reviews, apparently this is very new for him. I don't know what audience he's trying to reach, but I can easily see songs from this album getting some radio play on R&B and Pop stations. He may not want to be compared to other artists, but Jesse's voice reminds me slightly of Justin Timberlake's due to subject matter and chorus lines. However, it's more happy than Timberlake, and I get more pop than R&B (think Donnie from "Making the Band 4"). I just bought this album in case I don't hear it on my favorite radio stations. "Not Your Enemy" is a song I can learn from unfortunately, but "Leavin" is probably my favorite track although all of them are really good.

Note: To the reviewers who are saying this album is Rap or Hip Hop, minus "Rock You," which absolutely reminds me of Justin Timberlake, nothing on this album has rapping on it. It's definitely R&B and pop though.

Certainly nothing memorable here. The vocals are almost triplicated and sound as if MJJ, Sting, George Michael and Justin Timberlake all rolled into one. His voice is forced and the vocals are not consistent. The writing and instrumentations are fair. One listen, perhaps two and it's ready for the trash.