''James'' is the second extended play by American singer-songwriter
Phoebe Ryan
Phoebe Holiday Ryan (born September 21, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. In 2015, she released a mashup of R. Kelly's "Ignition" and Miguel's "Do You", followed by her first single "Mine" from her debut EP of the same name. She signe ...
, released on October 27, 2017 by
. It serves as the follow-up to her 2015 extended play, ''
Mine'' (2015). The EP was preceded by the release of three singles, and was promoted by a tour span from late October to mid-November 2017.
Background and composition
''James'' is a
pop EP that bases its musical composition in 1980s-inspired
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
, modern
electropop
Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
, and
contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...
. The album lyrically chronicles a relationship from beginning to end.
Promotion
Singles
* "
Forgetting All About You" featuring American R&B singer,
blackbear was released on August 4, 2017 as the lead single from the EP. It was supported by both a music video and a performance at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival.
* "
Be Real" was released as the second single on September 8, 2017. A remix EP was released the same month.
* "James Has Changed" was released as the third and final single on October 6, 2017.
Tour
In addition to the three singles being promoted, Ryan also embarked on a tour in support of the extended play. The tour began on October 31, 2017 and concluded on November 14, 2017.
Critical reception
Mike Wass of ''Idolator'' gave the album a positive review; he praised Ryan for "
xaminingmatters of the heart with rare honesty and a razor-sharp wit. Each song leads effortlessly into the next, which is no easy feat considering that they explore wildly different sounds."
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.
*
Phoebe Ryan
Phoebe Holiday Ryan (born September 21, 1990) is an American singer and songwriter. In 2015, she released a mashup of R. Kelly's "Ignition" and Miguel's "Do You", followed by her first single "Mine" from her debut EP of the same name. She signe ...
– lead vocals, songwriting
* Kyle Shearer – songwriting (tracks 1–2), record engineering (tracks 1–2)
* Nathaniel Campany – songwriting (tracks 1–2)
* Valley Girl – production (tracks 1–2)
* Joe Zook – mix engineering (track 1)
* Paul Hammond – engineer assistance (track 1)
* Mitch McCarthy – mix engineering (track 2)
* Justin Shturtz – master engineering
* Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – mix engineering (tracks 3–5)
* Lucas Nordqvist – songwriting (track 3)
* Jurek Reunamäki – songwriting (track 3)
* Frans Mernick – record engineering (track 3)
* Antti Hynninen – songwriting, production, record engineering (track 3)
* Joonas Laaksoharju – songwriting (track 4)
* Axel Ehnström – songwriting (track 4)
*
Big Taste – songwriting, production (tracks 4–5)
*
Blackbear – featured artist, songwriting (track 5)
* Joseph Kirkland – songwriting (track 5)
* Jason Dean – songwriting (track 5)
References
{{reflist
EPs by American artists
2017 EPs
Columbia Records EPs
Pop music EPs