Through The Wall

“If you understood who I was back then, then you’d understand there was already no box for me,” Rochelle Jordan says of her musical journey in a behind-the-scenes mini-documentary for her album <i>Through the Wall</i>. Since her 2011 debut, the Los Angeles-based British Canadian artist has been carving out her own lane, a vintage yet futuristic fusion of ’90s R&B and pop, hip-hop, soul, and electronic music. Jordan’s fascination with the latter stems back to her childhood, when her older brother blasted jungle, drum ’n’ bass, UK garage, house—all shades of dance—in his bedroom, the rhythms seeping through her walls.

The album’s title nods to those formative experiences, but it also carries spiritual meaning. Among the obstacles Jordan faced in her career, one of the most challenging was internal: impostor syndrome. As she learned to dismantle those mental barriers and step fully into her power, <i>Through the Wall</i> found its roots. Produced mainly by longtime collaborator KLSH (and additionally Byron the Aquarius, Terry Hunter, and DāM FunK), <i>Through the Wall</i> bumps like a night in the club, with luxe house grooves that could take dance floors from midnight to sunrise.

That sparkling feeling of freedom lives in songs like “Sweet Sensation” and “Close 2 Me,” which radiate the exuberance of living in the moment, whether out with friends or wrapped up with a lover. Slipping into a sing-rap flow, Jordan makes room to flex on “Ladida” and “Around,” her earned braggadocio strutting like it’s dripped head-to-toe in the Versace she name-drops. Even after breakups (“Sum,” “Get It Off”), she’s still thriving, looking fly, and living in her exes’ heads rent-free.

<i>Through the Wall</i> also pauses to reflect. On “Eyes Shut,” Jordan observes the struggles of those around her, questioning connection in a digital world and seeking purpose. “Got dopamine and can’t feel my soul/I just feel like there’s something more,” she muses. But the title track (“TTW”) asserts her resilience: “When you really wanna push through, okay/Let them say what they want to/Bussin’ through the wall.”

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