CD: Departure - Jesse McCartney

North American Version
Four years ago, Jesse McCartney came out with his debut album Beautiful Soul. It's now four years later with the release of Departure, not only has Jesse McCartney grown physically and mentally, he has grown musically as well. One of the major changes in musical style is that it's no longer just pop, there's also R&B, such as in "It's Over". The songs in Departure are catchy, definitely a CD that I would leave in the CD player to listen to over and over again. Some favourite songs in the Departure include "Leavin'" and "How Do You Sleep?", both very catchy pop songs, perfect for listening in the car or dancing to. Another favourite song would be "Not Your Enemy", a very soothing ballad.

This version of Departure features CDVU+, consisting access of videos, photos, links, wallpaper and a downloadable intro track when placed in the computer. The packaging for this CD was made from 100% recycled material, so it did not contain a lyric book, however, the lyrics can be accessed and printed via CDVU+.

Japanese Version
The Japanese version of Departure contains 4 bonus tracks: "Oxygen", "Bleeding Love", "Leavin' (The Bimbo Radio Edit)" and "Leavin' (JFK MSTRKRFT Remix)". This version does not contain CDVU+, but it does have a CD-EXTRA portion with the music video of Leavin' when placed in the computer. The Japanese version of Departure does have a lyric book included.


I think that the Japanese version and the North American version of Jesse McCartney's Departure each have their strengths and weaknesses, as it seems like you can't get the best of both worlds unless you buy both. The Japanese version is slightly pricier than the North American Version. What I do like about the Japanese version is that it contains "Bleeding Love", which is one of my favourite songs. In addition, I just simply like having the bonus tracks. A drawback to the Japanese version of Departure is the two Leavin' remix tracks, as it gets redundent over time. What I like about the North American version is that it contains the CDVU+, which gives you a lot of cool bonuses!

Favourite song: Leavin'
RainbowSnow's Rating: 4/5
Links: Jesse McCartney's Offical Website
Jesse McCartney's MySpace
Jesse McCartney's YouTube Channel
Buy this CD at yesasia.com