Album Review: Ella Mai, ‘Heart On My Sleeve’

The music industry in 2022 feels like it’s moving faster than it ever has. In the four years since Ella Mai’s last album, her eponymous debut LP, an entirely new social media app has risen as the supreme tastemaker and hit-breaker for the music industry. In 2018, Ella blended the lovestruck influence of 90s R&B with an alliterative hook to craft “Boo’d Up,” a monstrous Grammy-nominated Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 that kept pure R&B kicking in the mainstream as we moved into the heart of hip-hop’s chart dominance. On her sophomore effort, Heart On My Sleeve, there aren’t any tunes as instant as “Boo’d Up” or “Trip.” Nevertheless, the record is a cohesive effort that features fewer standouts than its predecessor, but showcases a tighter and clearer thematic focus.

Ella introduced Heart On My Sleeve almost two years ago with “Not Another Love Song,” an underwhelming midtempo that, in a way, exemplifies the album’s major issues. For the bulk of its duration, the album sits in a seemingly endless midtempo slumber. Unlike many of her peers, Ella is making full songs that treat the pre-chorus and bridge with respect. Unfortunately, she, at times, crafts songs that don’t go anywhere. “Not Another Love Song” chugs along for over four minutes with less dynamism than a backyard pond on a windless day. With Mustard at the helm of this album’s production, his sparse West Coast-entrenched soundscapes aren’t layered enough to carry songs that are already relatively subdued on the songwriting and singing fronts. “Feels Like” almost strikes the perfect balance, but the sinister bass hits are too restrained to truly raise the stakes as Ella launches into the chorus. “DFMU,” the album’s second single, actually makes the midtempo template work to an extent. The song benefits from showcasing Ella’s luscious lower register as it colors her biting, introspective lyrics.

On Heart On My Sleeve, Ella soundtracks the throes of love and heartache while trading the spoken word interludes of her debut album for smart collaborations and cameos from Mary J. Blige and Kirk Franklin. The album’s three credited guest artists (Latto, Lucky Daye, and Roddy Ricch) are all choices that simply make sense. Latto continues her breakout year with an emotional guest verse on “Didn’t Say” which allows her to show off her versatility after a string of lighthearted uptempo tunes. Again, Ella’s voice shines best when she’s playing around in the deep end of her range. Her lower notes have their own center of gravity; they’re endlessly alluring. Lucky Daye’s “Over” has been one of 2022’s major R&B hits in a similar way to “Boo’d Up” or “Trip” in 2018. Thus, his appearance on “A Mess” makes for an easy standout. The pair croon about fighting for a love that they both believe in regardless of the mess that it may bring to their lives. The real treat, however, is the last 45 seconds of the song when Ella and Lucky trade riffs and ad-libs — it’s a worthy successor to the powerhouse R&B duets of yesteryear. Finally, Roddy Ricch appears on “How,” an inevitable collaboration between two of Mustard’s closest musical partners. Roddy’s sauceless guest verse is nothing to write home about, but when he sings alongside Ella on the final chorus, they unlock an irresistible synergy, “How,” with its bouncy trap drums, is one of the few moments where this album’s uptempos reach the triumphs of Ella’s debut. Part of the reason “How” excels is because of how Heart On My Sleeve is sequenced. The track follows “Fallen Angel,” a song that marries gospel and R&B in one of the more direct ways in recent mainstream musical memory. Kirk Franklin closes the song with a lamentation on the complexities of love before letting The Choir ride the song out into “How.” Moments like this, as well as Mary J. Blige’s nuggets of wisdom, underscore the different missions for Ella’s debut and sophomore albums. Where her debut was concerned with crafting undeniable hit singles, Heart On My Sleeve hinges its bets on thematic cohesiveness and a deep commitment to the true essence of R&B and soul for a 2022 audience.

Heart On My Sleeve may run a bit too long, but the album gifts us more than its fair share of gems and a reminder that Ella’s debut was no fluke.

Key Tracks: “Trying” | “Fallen Angel” | “How” | “Didn’t Say” | “A Mess”

Score: 69