Confessions of a people pleaser
CJ Monét album cover to Confessions of a People Pleaser
Good morning good morning people!!! It’s Sunday, June 7th, but I want to talk about an album that dropped on May 22nd, Confessions of a People Pleaser by CJ Monét. This album is SPECIAL. Wise Mind was fortunate enough to hear and live with this album since February. While the album wasn’t finished around that time, for the most part it was on the backend of being finished. The dope thing about it was that CJ let us listen to newer versions as they were recorded. Shit, anytime she added in live instrumentation she would let us know. Now if you’ve been here before you know that this blog isn’t no official “music expert” or “grammatically correct” blog. It’s literally me just speaking on things that I think is dope or deserves to have light shed on it from the likings of me/us. It’s where I like to come spill out my thoughts, provide opinion, and be honest with the Wise Mind community.
With that being said, lets talk a little bit about this album, CJ herself, and what’s to come. First off, Confessions of A People Pleaser is an extremely smooth listen. 10 tracks, 30 mins long, and out of those 10 tracks 1 is an intro while the other is an interlude. The album opens up with a tone setting intro from CJ’s grandmother with beautiful keys being played. After the voicemail is played,then comes in the next track, “The Wheel.” The lyrics to this song made me sit back and be like “damn, her pen is amazing.” I’ve heard of CJ in the past, being featured on other people’s tracks and such, but I never really dove into her music until this year. I’m sure i’m not 100% correct on the interpretation of each of these tracks, but I’ll try my best, and tell you at least how I perceived them. She introduces herself right away along with letting the people know like “yo, I’m CJ and I’m tryna figure this shit out too” 😂. She reiterated that several times, by stating that she’s spinning around like a hamster on a wheel. I love the track, I love pretty much all the songs on here 😂, but yea. I love the honesty, catchy hook, and relatability. So much in life, especially in todays age, it feels like progression/motivational/success is force fed to us. What a lot of people don’t realize until they face it is that everyone is different, circumstances are different, and life hits people differently. So this song is a good like “look man, I go through shit, sometimes in cycles, but I’m too trying to figure it out.” “Come Get Me” is probably the grooviest track on the album. This song is a VIBE. Again, CJ’s pen is elite, vocals too. The live instruments are so beautifully arranged. When that guitar comes in at 3:02, I was like “yo who are these people” 😂. The drums throughout the song were just amazing as well, shoutout to Josh Emick, Zac Covington, Matt Laird, Santel Reid, Will Darity, and Sam Fribush. “Lucid Dreaming” is just one of them songs you can throw on at anytime. I done listened to this track cleaning, working, in the car crusin down Broadway in Long Beach. It’s just one of them joints. The track also introduced me to Sonny Miles, I WAS NOT FAMILAR. His vocals were perfect there, then with CJ coming back in, to then be followed up by the saxophone played by Shane Wheeler……whoever arranged these tracks we owe you a drink. Well, see Collyn, he’ll pay for it.
I tabbed down here for a new paragraph, because we’re about to get into my 3 favorite tracks out of the album, but one second, let me heat up some leftovers real quick, I’m starvin…..
….ight so boom, “Serotonin”. For months I had Lidocaine as my personal favorite track, but I don’t knoooooooow bout that today. Serotonin is just perfect. Every time I hear it I think of my wife and if you know me you know I love my broad *now go back and read that sentence in a New Jersey accent* 😂. The beginning before CJ comes in is very mellow, very peaceful. Then she gets to talkin her shit and I’m like “damn she preachin” 😂. If you ever want to know how I feel about Ash, go listen to this song, specifically the beginning. “I don’t want to need you, I just want to want you” is often a thing Ash and I have kept in our relationship since the beginning. That “we don’t NEED each other in life for us to exist as individuals, but that we WANT to be together".” It’s been a dynamic that I’ve appreciated. CJ did a beautiful job there referencing not only relationship, but also the church. Stating that her feelings about church and relationships have many similarities or that she looks for the same from the two. That is then followed up by “Amara’s Overture” in which, after talks with CJ, is a very personal family matter in which she has here as a set up into the song Lidocaine. Which happens to be a song she dedicated to her brother. This track itself is a lot for me. In a sense it includes an element of self assessment. Much like The Wheel for me, this song is a reflection of self. Since February, I’ve listened to this song more times then I can count. I deal with health things just about every day, if not every other day. Everyday feels like I’m having to push through some shit I don’t deserve to have. A battle I’ve had for some years now and continue to seek medical attention. This song, Lidocaine, for me is a reassurance. Of like, “its good dawg, you’re ok, your going to be ok, and even if you’re not ok…..that is ok too.” The lyrics here by CJ are spot on, Josh, Zac, and Matt all contribute to the overall emotion of this track and I appreciate that. If there was ever a song I would send to a random person that may be goin through somethin, it’d be this track. It’s one of those tracks that I think the world needs. I could probably write a whole blog about that song, but lets move on to “Face the Music.” This track is one of my favorites from the album as well. Again, self aware and self reflecting. The track starts off with CJ calling out her flaws, then slowly progresses into a very motivational and more upbeat track as she answers the questions from early on. Stating that she needs to “Face the Music,” basically being about what she’s speaking about and that its been her vs. her all along. This is Ash’s fav track, definitely a banger.
CJ’s 1st album performance at The Flat Iron in Greensboro, NC. Click on the photo for tickets.
Up next is “Too Late.” This song to me has a very groovy and soulful vibe to it. On first listen I remember bein like “is she talkin to a significant other?” Then that question is answered by the end of the song 😂. I love this track as well, because it ties into the Confessions of a People Pleaser. It sounds like CJ giving this person chance after chance and just at a point of being aware an sayin it’s “Too Late.” Lastly is the track “Living For,” what a way to close out an album bruh. It truly felt like a “grand finale” that encompasses the album in total. When the album dropped, it was my first time hearing the instrumentation in the back half of the song and I hit her up immediately to applaud that. What a way to finish off such an amazingly polished project. Quality was crisp, lyrics were on point, sequencing of the tracks, man just everything about this album is perfect. NOT TO MENTION SHE’S FROM NORTH CAROLINA, what an album to come out of the home state.
Just recently CJ told me this album was actually recorded in Greensboro, NC which is hella dope to me. It’s also is where her first show, performing the new album, will be at! If you haven’t yet copped tickets, get yours here. The show is July 2nd at The Flat Iron. I definitely recommend yall copping tickets and pulling up. CJ will have live instrumentation for the performance and Wise Mind may or may not have something to do with CJ’s album merch. From the jump CJ’s been a blessing to work with. She exudes amazing energy, compassion, and drive to get things done and that’s what we love about a collaborative partner. Shoutout again to everyone that was involved with this project, it exceeded expectations. Yall go stream Confessions of a People Pleaser by the great, CJ Monét. Much Love.
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