‘Look at me now” is a fitting opening line for Good to Know, the fourth studio album from R&B singer JoJo. The artist has been on a storied journey through the music industry and the public eye: first emerging as the 13-year-old singer of Leave (Get Out), she then spent years mired in legal disputes with her label that prevented her releasing music. After reigniting her passionate fanbase with a string of independent, darker-sounding mixtapes (and one viral Drake cover), she released Mad Love, her long-delayed third album, in 2016. But Good to Know, released on her own imprint Clover Music, with its themes of independence and self-knowledge, carries with it a sense that she has finally arrived as the kind of artist she was always meant to be.
Slowed down to a treacle pace and layered in indulgent harmonies, these bass-rich songs are the most mature JoJo has ever recorded. It’s a hangover album (one spacious, swirling song is named Pedialyte, for the rehydration drink), all about making clear-eyed assessments of past bad decisions in the light of day. JoJo picks herself apart, whispering about not being able to get over an ex on Think About You, and belting about her insecurity on Lonely Hearts. Her voice, always impressive, is now an intimidating muscle, and while her message occasionally brushes against empowerment-pop cliche, the naked passion in her vocal sells every line. In light of her legal battles (and recent accusations that her former record label once put her on a 500-calories-a-day diet), her declarations of self-love also carry special import. On Man, the album’s stand-out single-lady anthem, JoJo sings: “I’ve been down, but I’m back up.” It’s a joy to hear.
