“The Mistress” is R&B singer Jay Sean’s first mixtape recording and preview to his much-delayed upcoming studio album “Freeze Time”.  Jay Sean (Kamaljit Jhooti) is a London native of Punjabi-Indian descent. He gained fame in his country in 2003 with music that fused British R&B/hip-hop and Indian music.  Sean later gained even wider fame in the UK after releasing British R&B music with less Indian influences. In 2009, Jay Sean took a shot at fame in the US and released the album “All or Nothing” on the Young Money label.  The first single from the album, “Down”, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the summer that year. He became the first Asian artist to do so.

Like “All or Nothing”, “The Mistress” is rooted more in American R&B than British R&B.  However, “The Mistress” is less pop-savvy than “All or Nothing” and is rooted exclusively in urban music. “The Mistress” places emphasis on showcasing raw talent.  Jay Sean has a soulful, textured voice, and can write well-crafted, reflective R&B songs about love.

The songs on “The Mistress” are a patchwork that tells the story of a man who cheated on his girlfriend with another woman (hence the title). Jay Sean is not celebrating infidelity; the lyrics frequently reflect regret.  My favorite tracks (roughly in order) are “Sex 101”, “Message In A Bottle”, “Movie” “Say Yeah”, “She Has No Time”, and “Love”.  It’s also notable that Jay Sean covers The Beatles (“Yesterday”) and Bob Marley (“Waiting In Vain”), and shows off his beatbox skill in the first and last tracks of the album.

“The Mistress” mixtape will keep Jay Sean fans more than satisfied, and show the world that Jay Sean is more than a pop artist.  “The Mistress” might be a free download, but it’s almost as good as a studio album.

You can download “The Mistress” here: http://www.datpiff.com/Jay-Sean-The-Mistress-mixtape.262835.html

(4 out of 5 stars)