GRAMMYs 2025: Djesse Vol. 4, Jacob Collier

Over the last six years, 29-year-old music prodigy Jacob Collier has been navigating an audaciously sprawling endeavor: his Djesse project, released over four volumes of music. Each volume is a kaleidoscopic fragment of his vast musical psyche—Vol. 1 is orchestral, Vol. 2 flirts with folk, Vol. 3 dives into pop. And then there’s Grammy-nominated Vol. 4, which defies logic entirely. It’s a sonic vortex of 16 tracks that somehow juggles folk ballads, gleaming pop, doom metal, samba, rap, all interweaving the inclusion of the voices of 100,000 fans, recorded during his global tours. It’s everything, everywhere, all at once—it's utterly overwhelming, yet undoubtedly a record like any other.

CREDIT: @JACOBCOLLIER ON INSTAGRAM

Stand-out tracks: '100,000 Voices' 'Summer Rain (feat. Madison Cunningham & Chris Thile)' 'Bridge Over Troubled Water (feat. John Legend & Tori Kelly)'

My favorites: 'Little Blue (feat. Brandi Carlile)' 'Never Gonna Be Alone (feat. Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer)'

Album opener '100,000 Voices' is quite simply a cinematic cacophony of music, interweaving elements upon elements of so many different musical genres. The result is undeniably impressive and unpredictable, yet almost overwhelming. The follow-up track, 'She Put Sunshine,' is immediately led into from the opener; '100,000 Voices' concludes its genre-somersaulting with near-metal instrumentation, which allows 'She Put Sunshine' to emerge as a breath of fresh air. But yet again, there’s so much going on production-wise that it's overwhelming to the ear and bogs down whatever story the piece is trying to convey.

While there are sonic choices that are meant to keep the listener engaged, questioning, and unsure of what's coming next, the greatest achievement of Djesse Vol. 4 is the way it celebrates music of all avenues. 'Little Blue (feat. Brandi Carlile)' is a rich, stunning acoustic piece, 'Wherever I Go (feat. Lawrence & Michael McDonald)' leans toward upbeat soul, while 'Summer Rain (feat. Madison Cunningham & Chris Thile)' is a soaring, ambient acoustic-alternative adventure. Somehow 'Rock Somewhere (feat. Anoushka Shankar & Varrijashree Venugopal)' creates a dance-pop sound rooted in lead instrumentals from a sitar and backed by Collier's richest vocals of the record. Romantic, groovy 'Never Gonna Be Alone (feat. Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer)' is a glittering modern gem. 'Bridge Over Troubled Water (feat. John Legend & Tori Kelly)' is so powerful and harmonically entrancing it can be felt all the way down to the pit of your soul. And though it does stretch on for a bit longer than necessary, the album concludes with a poignant, hymnalistic conclusion in 'World O World,' which strikes even deeper knowing that the Djesse project that Collier has been pursuing for over half a decade has concluded.

Djesse Vol 4. is an undeniable celebration of music, old and new, crafted by an artist who knows no boundaries. The album is a music listener's playground, prompting complex digestion and processing of music on a level beyond most albums. But the album's strength is also its greatest weakness - both in the album overall, as well as in many of the tracks individually, there's just so much to hear that at times it borders on chaos. The album's purpose isn't to tell a story lyrically, invoke a sense of feeling understood by the listener, or master a genre. It's beautiful havoc that flexes a deep appreciation for music as a whole.

GRAMMY FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Listening to Djesse Vol 4. is an experience in itself, which shows that Jacob Collier has created a true musical feat. Collier commits wholeheartedly to representing different artists, genres, production styles, and compositions. It's wildly ambitious but falls short of being more than just a sonic explosion of diversity. Jacob Collier's ambition and intention in creating Djesse Vol 4. make it a clear choice as a nominee for Album of the Year at the GRAMMYs. But does the album's grand ambition come at the expense of the individual track's quality? Probably. In its effort to create something universally impressive, it sacrifices some of the intimacy needed for a true modern masterpiece. Djesse Vol. 4 is a music critic's dream come which ultimately favors it as a formidable contender for Album of the Year, yet its lack of resonant personality (and an equally formidable pool of other nominees) makes it far from a clear winner.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: PROBABLY NOT LISTENING AGAIN