Jennie also finds a way to call back to her foundation in the group — “Like Jennie” is a wild dance-floor romp, produced partly by Diplo, that futurizes the Blackpink sound, and features some of Jennie’s toughest rapping. “Mantra” is a slightly smoothed-out, commercial-ready version of that approach, with a burst of vintage electro thrown in for good measure.
The moments of novelty on this album are more impressive, though, particularly “Start a War,” which Jennie tackles with the haughtiness of vintage Rihanna. “With the IE (Way Up)” sparkles with the same sample made famous by, depending on your scene history, Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny From the Block” or “Watch Out Now” by the Beatnuts, both credibility markers in their own way. Most striking is the R&B groove Jennie settles into on the album’s back half — Bibi Bourelly, who’s written hits for Rihanna, has songwriting credit on several of these tracks.
All these big gestures and affiliations — they’re a boom indicator, a sign of a healthy budget. A sign of music industry belief in the possibility of something grand, or great, or maybe even both. (Each member is signed to a different label — Rosé to Atlantic, Jennie to Columbia, Jisoo to Warner, Lisa to RCA.)
There’s some of that on Rosé’s album “Rosie,” as well, notably in the breakout pop smash “APT.,” a freewheeling and sometimes silly duet with Bruno Mars that riffs on Toni Basil’s “Mickey” and went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Broadly speaking, though, as compared to Lisa and Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo appear to be in something like a retreat from the shadow of Blackpink. “Rosie” is curiously a musically tame album. Rosé instead emphasizes her big vocals, pointing to a talent that translates in and out of her group. “Number One Girl” is a quaintly melodramatic piano ballad about wanting to be accepted. “Two Years” and “Toxic Till the End” are back-to-back Taylor Swift homages, to her “Folklore” and “Lover” eras.
“Rosie” features big-name producers like Omer Fedi, Rogét Chahayed, Greg Kurstin and Cirkut; Allen has writing credits here, too. But they all add up to something quite different than on Jennie and Lisa’s albums. The firmness of Rosé’s voice shines through on this LP, which is the best and most consistent of these releases. With its commitment to starkness, it almost recalls a polished take on Lilith Fair-era pop, with galvanic feeling triumphing over filigree.
