Jorja Smith has never been afraid to be noisy. Among sombre and sobering offerings lie the exhilarating, elastic segments of the 29-year-old Walsall native’s discography; the pulse of the two-step-infused ‘On My Mind’, the clubby ‘Little Things’ or the alt-leaning ‘Go Go Go’. Smith is as much R&B as she is house, an equilibrium of sorts – once she acquaints herself with a genre, she’s able to contort it to her will, translating it to her audience in a hue that makes sense to her.
On ‘What Are The Odds’, however, the singer-songwriter clearly wants to dance. What happens when Smith embraces the noise? Perched alongside executive producer P2J, the pair worked across three immersive sessions to create an arresting, club-ready collaborative effort. There’s a familiar tension amid the escapist synths though: the confrontation of emotions. The all-encompassing embrace of the challenging, difficult, soothing and harsh realities of a person that’s lived, loved and wore her heart on her sleeve along the way.
Smith has always been one to confront her realities in the booth, and ‘What Are The Odds’ is no different. ‘What’s Done Is Done’ is cocky and confrontational as it taunts a guilty ex. “Do you think about me / Do you know it hurt me”, she hisses. Her hollow assertions a near-perfect match atop a moody, smoky blend of hip-hop and garage. Here, Smith flirts with rapping once again, but on the album’s title track, she leans in fully, utilising a skill she’s harnessed as a feature artist alongside Enny (‘Peng Black Girls’) and AJ Tracey (‘Crush’). “That’s a thing about a life up high / In the lights you can’t see what’s off”, she warns. It hints at the star’s relationship with fame. Perhaps it explains her aloof relationship with hypervisibility, her retreat, away from London back home.
‘What Are The Odds’ is also flirtatious in its use of sonics, ‘I Lied, You Lied’ acting as an ode to P2J and Smith’s first project together ‘Little Things’ – a single that formed the genesis of the pair’s ideas for a holistic dance LP. Here, the singer embraces her mystery, an alluring meld of funky house, jazz, afro-house and R&B prancing beneath Smith’s runs. “You won’t figure me out,” she asserts. ‘Dancing’ leans further into percussion, a rumba tease ushered onto the dancefloor. “The music feels like, la, la, la, la / Makes us move like la, la, la la”, it appears that Smith is ready to get lost, enchanted and mystified by each and every note. Soon joined by Wizkid, for ‘Alive’, P2J’s afrobeats signature makes an appearance, something which feels equally as natural to Smith as it does to Wizkid.
‘Young Heart’ also exists in this eco-system, its name as a double-entendre of sorts. It both explores Smith’s youthful approach to love, sometimes naïve in calming her yearn to love and be loved, but also speaks to her sentience as someone still in their 20s, her ability to embrace the youthful sounds of the dancefloor. In 2026, afro-house – through the likes of Piano People, Dankie Sounds, GroupTherapy – is steering a new generation of ravers. Smith’s ability to champion and harness such sounds speaks to her adaptability as an artist – and in this case, it works for her.
‘What Are The Odds’ is Smith at her most comfortable, loosely embodying her emotional state. All that she’s been, and all that she will be – the mess, desire, regret and state of armour she’s built across her ten years in the headlights. It’s endearingly charming, brutally honest and ultimately fun. Now able to enjoy the catharsis that comes with perspective, Smith comes of age once again on this album, this time bold in her instincts and ability to laugh at herself along the way.
Details
- Record label: FAMM
- Release date: August 21, 2026