JJ Wilde, Ruthless Album Review

JJ Wilde‘s debut album, Ruthless, landed on Friday – and if you need some new rock and roll in your life – this is it.

The Kitchener, ON native storms through the speakers with 11 tracks, including The Rush which took her to #1 and made history as JJ Wilde became the first woman to hold the top spot on all three rock charts (Alternative Rock, Active Rock, Mediabase Rock Big Picture) in Canada with the song. It’s a massive song that fans and critics have embraced and pushed to heights is deserves and earned, big time.

And if you don’t know the track, but are ready for some rock. and to go for a ride, hit play on the official music video for The Rush and let JJ Wilde introduce herself to you.

Turn it up.

Like we all tend to do with any artist we’re really getting deep into for the first time, I listen for comparisons or little things that remind me of other artists. Throughout Wilde’s album there are moments that remind us of songs or vibes from artists like The Glorious Sons (Knees), The Black Keys (The Rush), P!NK (State Of Mind) and more. But the important thing to note about that, is that it never feels like JJ Wilde is singing a song that belongs to those artists. Not at all. These are her songs, and while I can imagine other folks singing them, I’m very happy to have these versions in my life as the originals on Ruthless.

Across 11 songs and just under 40 minutes, Wilde goes hard, soft, parties, and makes you want to cry. And when you get to Funeral For A Lover, you better be ready to let it make you feel things. In talking to Apple Music about the album’s songs, Wilde explained that the song was written about her ex-boyfriend and his struggle with mental health issues, and her struggle in their relationship. She said, “This was a hard one to write and a hard one to sing… I wrote most of it in my kitchen and then just cried for quite a while. But at the end, I’m so happy that we pushed through and created it, because me walking away convinced him to go to rehab and get help and now he’s doing a lot better.”

I’m happy for that ending too. And I’m grateful for Funeral For A Lover because it’s the kind of song that gets overlooked sometimes because it isn’t a party jam or a might not even get recorded and released because it isn’t high energy enough or whatever. Good for JJ Wilde and her team for sticking with this one.

Balance in an album is underrated in my opinion. Having an album full of absolute bangers is great and all, but if you’ve got a song or two (don’t sleep on Gave It All either) that can catch my attention and make me think and feel a little deeper, I’m all in.

There are great dance moments on this album. There are sit and think moments. There and bang your head and rock moments. There are sing along moments. There’s a darkness in places that made me think of TV soundtracks and where JJ Wilde’s music would fit on Lucifer. There’s a lot going on. And I’m into it.

The future is bright and unwritten for JJ Wilde. She has already made history in Canadian rock and roll, and while we don’t want to put any added pressure on her, we’re sure there’s more to come.

Keep an eye on JUNO nominations lists, radio charts, and other places to see her name along with other celebrated rock acts. And when it’s time for us all to get back out for live music, be ready to catch her on-stage. Hell, we’re bummed that folks didn’t get to see her with Rival Sons in the US, or in Europe and the UK where she was booked too, or with The Struts. All of those chances to play for rock fans have been well-earned already – and I hope that most or all of them can happen when we get through the drag we’re in now.

In a press release prior to the release of Ruthless, JJ Wilde said, in part, “This album has been a long time coming and I am so excited to finally be able to share it… I feel like this album perfectly represents the years of my life leading up to this moment and all of the changes that I have gone through, good and bad. Between struggling to pay bills working multiple dead-end jobs, toxic relationships beginning and ending, it’s all in there. Ruthless will give listeners a first and very personal look into my mind, heart, and everything in between.”

We’ve had that first and personal look now, and I like it. I’ll take more whenever it’s ready.

Check out the full Ruthless tracklist below, listen to the Spotify stream, and/or hit play on the music videos for Cold Shoulder, Wired, and State Of Mind below. Enjoy.

JJ Wilde, Ruthless Tracklist

1. Knees
2. The Rush
3. Wired
4. Breakfast In Bed
5. Gave It All
6. State Of Mind
7. Home
8. Funeral For A Lover
9. Cold Shoulder
10. Trouble
11. Feelings

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Joshua Murray

creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.