Jorja Smith – What Are the Odds (Album Review)

Jorja Smith’s “What Are the Odds” feels like the soundtrack to realizing you deserve better.

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TOP 5 SONGS

5. I Lied, You Lied

“I Lied, You Lied” captures the weird space where a relationship is clearly falling apart, but the feelings between two people refuse to disappear. The track has a quirky, almost frantic vibe that immediately made me picture an early-morning commute filled with hectic metro rides and long walks on busy streets. You have businessmen and women rushing around, passing each other like they’re just numbers in a machine, with everyone too busy to slow down. It actually makes me wonder if these two were the same way. Maybe they were so caught up in everything else that they didn’t have time to stop a relationship that was already spiraling.

4. For Life

“For Life” focuses on the kind of relationship where someone means so much to you that their struggles become something you want to help carry. I really like how comforting that message is because sometimes devotion means sticking around even when the circumstances are anything but simple.

“For Life” has a dark, frustrated edge lyrically, but beneath the surface is a lot of hurt, passion, and genuine care. You can hear how deeply Jorja feels for the person she’s singing about, even when the emotions aren’t exactly easy or pretty.

3. What’s Done Is Done

“What’s Done Is Done” is one of the singles from this album, and I definitely understand why. This song is powerful, y’all. You can practically feel the betrayal radiating through the speakers.

Lyrically, it’s about realizing someone took your love for granted because they thought you’d always be there. They believed they could do you wrong, tell their lies, and keep making the same mistakes because you’d never change or finally walk away. But eventually, you do. The love you have for this person is real, but there comes a point when loving yourself has to matter more. Sometimes you have to leave, even when part of you still cares.

There’s a fiery energy throughout the track, and Jorja delivers it with plenty of command and spice. It feels like the kind of song she wrote months after getting through the situation, once she had enough distance to look back on it clearly instead of writing while she was still living through it.

2. When It Gets Like That

“When It Gets Like That” is about loving someone who doesn’t really give you what you need in return. It’s like they don’t have time for you, but they have time for everyone else.

Jorja sings in a way that really emphasizes every single emotion, and it just deepens the allure of this track. You can hear the frustration, the sadness, and the exhaustion all at once.

1. Pretend

“Pretend” is all about that stage in a relationship where you know something is wrong, something else is going on, and you’re over it. You aren’t naive. You know when you’re being lied to, and you know it hurts.

The track is real, honest, hypnotic, and fits perfectly with the rest of the album. This one was definitely a standout for me.

SONG BY SONG RATING

For Life (4/5)

What are The Odds (4/5)

What’s done is done (4/5)

This City (4/5)

Pretend (4.5/5)

The Way It Is (4/5)

I Lied, You Lied (4/5)

Dancing (4/5)

Alive (4/5)

Young Heart (4/5)

Make it Your Home (4/5)

When it Gets like that (4/5)

RGM RATING

(B+)

Jorja Smith returns with What Are The Odds, and I’m going to be honest: this album feels like Jorja went through a breakup and decided to turn the entire experience into music. There are some moments that celebrate the better parts of relationships, but the songs about heartbreak, betrayal, and moving on are easily where this album shines the brightest.

Sonically, Jorja mixes R&B and neo-soul with electronic production that gives everything some movement. It’s almost funny how much these songs can make you want to dance when she’s singing about getting cheated on, but that contrast is part of the album’s charm. Lyrically, she goes to some pretty vulnerable places, touching on being lied to, questioning your happiness, and realizing that something you once wanted may no longer be good for you.

Overall, I think What Are The Odds is a really strong album. There are plenty of songs here I could listen to every week because they’re emotionally honest without becoming miserable to sit through. Jorja makes you feel understood while still giving you music you can actually vibe to. That balance is difficult to pull off, but she does it extremely well.

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