Three years after releasing her breakout project JAGUAR, Victoria Monét unleashes its highly-anticipated sequel JAGUAR II, her debut album on Lovett Music/RCA Records. Led by the singles “Smoke,” “Party Girls” and the anthem “On My Mama,” Victoria positions herself as the current leader of the R&B pack with JAGUAR II.
After lending her songwriting talents to numerous artists for years, Victoria Monét continues to keep some magic for herself on this 11-track collection that she co-executive produced with D’Mile and Rachelle Jean-Louis. Monét’s skills with the pen are complemented by dazzling live instrumentation and vocals as gorgeous as she is.
Victoria isn’t afraid to stretch the boundaries of R&B, and the collection takes listeners on a joyride through Black music of the past, present and future. She coasts in on a soulful throwback groove with Lucky Daye riding shotgun on “Smoke” before swerving into dancehall reggae with Buju Banton on “Party Girls.” She veers from the dancehall to the dance floor on the sexually-charged house jam “Alright,” produced by the maestro KAYTRANADA.
Monét cruises into Southern hip-hop soul territory in her “Cadillac (A Pimp's Anthem)” to let everyone know that girls are players, too, and with “On My Mama,” dripping in confidence and turning her swag on. She keeps it moving back to the past with the ’70s soul feel of “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt)” with a hilariously real message.
Although she mixes it up with other genres and eras, R&B is Victoria’s sweet spot. The ballad “How Does It Make You Feel” comes at the album's midpoint, and it is truly the heart and soul of JAGUAR II. She keeps the love and tight lyricism flowing on the convincing “I’m The One,” the meaningful “Hollywood” featuring legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire and the coos of her daughter Hazel Monét and the killer closer “Good Bye,” which adds an unexpected touch of yacht rock to end the album.
With JAGUAR II, Victoria Monét elevates modern R&B with an impressive and cohesive collection of music. Although she didn’t include the songs that dropped between projects during the pandemic — “F.U.C.K.,” “Coastin’” or “Nothing Feels Better” — on JAGUAR II, we have our fingers crossed that they will appear on a future deluxe edition. And even if they don’t, this album is perfect as-is.
Victoria Monét JAGUAR II [Amazon][Apple Music][TIDAL]
