Reality Show

After a five-year retreat from the spotlight, Jazmine Sullivan returns with poised authority on Reality Show, her third full-length collection of perceptive, emotionally raw R&B. We’ve always known the Philadelphia musician is a talented singer—her agile vocal fireworks light up tunes like "Mascara” and “Masterpiece (Mona Lisa)”—but Reality Show is a huge artistic leap forward due to Sullivan’s gutsy songwriting. When she lays into tunes about everywoman trials (the disco-tinged “Stanley,” the soulful “Silver Lining” and the sinister “#Hoodlove”), Reality Show is equally gritty and gratifying.