What Are The Odds

Jorja Smith flirted with dance music in the earliest days of her career, lending her distinctive, smoky-toned vocals to 2017’s club-oriented Preditah collaboration “On My Mind.” Since then, she’s generally stayed closer to the R&B and soul-pop sound which earned her a BRIT Award in 2019. On What Are the Odds, the UK singer-songwriter’s third studio album, Smith makes a full commitment to the dance floor. Produced by P2J—whose prolific output includes work for Beyoncé, Stormzy, Wizkid, and more—What Are the Odds carves out a natural lane for Smith, somewhere between garage and Afro-house. “This City” pairs her with UK rapper Devlin on an urgent plea for understanding, delivered over thumping breakbeats; the frenetic percussion anchoring “Make It Your Home” sets a relentless pace at thrilling odds with Smith’s languid vocals; while an evocative saxophone motif adds a bluesy air of wistfulness to the skittering drum ’n’ bass flavor of “I Lied, You Lied.” The undeniable standout is “Dancing,” with its propulsive hip-house beat, elastic bassline, and irresistibly catchy “La la la la” hook. It’s often a gamble when artists experiment with new sounds—with What Are the Odds, Smith hits the jackpot.