A singer and songwriter whose childhood consumption of such wide-ranging genres as pop, hip-hop, trap, and country all show up in her multifarious songs,
Jessie Murph
earned enough buzz with her social-media presence to win a contract with
Columbia
for her earliest studio material. Following an EP, an LP dubbed a mixtape, and a smattering of Hot 100 appearances, she makes her official full-length debut with the anguished
That Ain't No Man That's the Devil
. It finds her laying off of some of the mixtape's electronics and embracing rootsier country and blues without dispensing with rap and an overarching pop. Notwithstanding the stylistic amalgam, its emotional honesty and heart-rending lyrics and singing performances provide a through line. Highlights include the defiant and soulful "I Hope It Hurts," which features a string arrangement, the minimalist "I Could Go Bad," and minor hit "Dirty" with
Teddy Swims
, one of a handful of duets on board. Further collaborations include one with Nashville rapper
Jelly Roll
(the Top 40-charting "Wild Ones") and "Someone in This Room" with country singer
Bailey Zimmerman
; the album also features
Murph
's biggest hit to this point, the Hot 100 Top 30 entry "High Road" with
Koe Wetzel
, despite it already having appeared on
Wetzel
's album
9 Lives
.
's eclectic properties were embraced by fans new and old, who helped it to a Top 30 placement on the Billboard 200. ~ Marcy Donelson