The rising soul-pop artist knows how to make an impressive debut album (and an even more impressive live performance), though his artistry might attract a maelstrom of parochial reactions and naysayers.
Yes, I understand that Jordan was released back in August 2024, but there was one big reason why I decided to publish the review of this album now.
The quiet dilemma in my head (that no one knows of) began when I attended the album’s showcase concert, Jordan Susanto Live!, which was held at M Bloc Live House, Jakarta, in the following November. I shall go straight to the point: it was the best Indonesian music concert that I attended — out of all the concerts and shows that I saw — throughout the year 2024. Sure, Jordan Susanto still needed to improve his crowd work, but once he grabbed the mic, nothing else mattered. He was brazen, he was inviting, and he was in the zone. A mutant whose superpower is music.
I had a brief, friendly exchange with Jordan Susanto afterwards, but without telling him, a tiny lamentation started bubbling within my journalistic gut. Jordan Susanto Live! was such an incredible show, but it was so incredible that it kind of felt like a swansong. Unfortunately, in my experience, doing something *too* well can also be problematic.
A little while later, Jordan Susanto won his first AMI Award trophy for Soul/R&B Male/Female Solo Artist. When AMI Awards are subconsciously seen as the end of the ‘season’ by many Indonesian artists and music audiences, my quiet lamentation got louder, turning into a question that bitterly says: “Does this mean the Jordan era is now over?”
Selfishly, I hope my gut is wrong. Why? Because Jordan is not the type of album that should only be introduced and celebrated for merely a couple of months. In fact, nearly six months after its release, Jordan continues to charm and frustrate me — in a very good way.
To put things in a bigger perspective, Jordan Susanto — whether he realised this or not — already made a rod for his own back just for being an Indonesian who dares to create a soul-infused record. Ultimately, the album Jordan is best described as a soul-pop record, with the ‘pop’ part likely due to Jordan Susanto’s sincere wish to meet the taste of Indonesian music audiences halfway. Here, the ‘soul’ part represents how Jordan Susanto sees himself as an artist, whereas the ‘pop’ part represents how the newbie Jordan Susanto communicates with his audiences. Jordan Susanto married these two parts together into a cohesive nine-track LP, and the result is pure magic. This result, I believe, is not because of Jordan Susanto’s talent — it’s because of his intelligence. (And yes, whatever your profession is, being smart is always a must. Music is not always about talent.)
Open-mindedness is required to fully understand Jordan and what it tries to achieve, but once the audiences are willing to give themselves into the record, the entailing experience is akin to a burst of sunshine after drab weather. Jordan Susanto sets the tone with the aptly titled “Real Good Feeling”. Here, Jordan Susanto’s charm, complemented by Taufan Wirzon’s delicious music production, is such a pure joy that any critics who might hastily dismiss the whole album as a ‘genre replication’ could not deny its sincere energy. In a different parallel universe, Jordan Susanto could have been an indisputable champion of Indonesian Idol — as evidenced by his godly dynamic vocal performance in “Thing I Desire”.
And then, here comes the nuanced duality. “Senopati in the Rain” is, so far, the album’s leading hit. That being said, the quality and the resonance of this head-bopping affair serve as Jordan Susanto’s demonstration that, on any given day, he can out-perform those nubile pop sound machines without even needing an actual rain. On the different side of the same coin is “Will I Ever Love Again?” which, if this album can actually reach the global airwaves, would have made Carole King proud. In this ballad, Jordan Susanto doubles down on his soul-ness, making his case that he is not here for the clouts and ‘likes’. They say purity in music is dead. Well, if that’s the case, that means I’ve just witnessed a Lazarus.
But when all’s said and done, what turns Jordan into a distinctive body of work is its flirtatious nature. Finally, here in the Indonesian music industry, we have a young man who is not afraid to explore worldly misadventures such as lust (“Cherry”), inebriation (“Still Drunk”), and playboy complex (“Do Right Baby!”) while also understanding how to make these narratives sound playful, yet empathic. There is no sin in channelling a heartthrob persona, and if done correctly, the result can be as invigorating as it is original. I couldn’t help but notice that there is a hint of cockiness lingering throughout the album as well. This may easily upset the older critics and the so-called ‘culture gatekeepers’. But if you ask me, what’s a male crooner without a bad-boy streak?
What is lacking, then, in Jordan? All things considered, while the album’s flirtatious and playful nature is refreshing, it could have been pushed even further. At this point, and after carefully listening to this album dozens of times, Jordan Susanto seems more adept as a singer and a music producer than being a songwriter. The lyrical narratives of Jordan could have been rawer and more unapologetic. After all, what makes soul music immortal is its beauty in channelling the messier, more vehement emotions.
“Cherry” is nice, but it could have been a lot sexier and (dare I say this?) thirstier. The buzzkill “Fleeting Love”, arguably the album’s weakest link, feels so misplaced within the album that it comes across as Jordan Susanto trying to step back from his own energy. “Do You Remember? (Fleeting Love Reprise)” could have been replaced by any other song that missed the tracklist simply because this particular number ends up putting a wet blanket on the wildness radiated by its preceding number, “Thing I Desire”.
Is the fact that Jordan is presented in English a flaw? Not necessarily. After the passing of time and my revisitation of this album, the vision of Jordan is, indeed, better delivered in the English language. The thing about being a newbie in the industry is there is a need to pay respect to the music itself, first and foremost, before the artist runs amok and shakes things up. Considering soul music was originally from the Western hemisphere, perhaps the most respectful thing to do by a soul-oriented newcomer such as Jordan Susanto is to acknowledge the genre’s cultural — and linguistic — roots.
That being said, Jordan suffers from a couple of unique elements that can be a double-edged sword, meaning that it might end up being a kiss of death or the artist’s greatest weapon yet. This, furthermore, goes back to my early point as well.
Jordan is an excellent body of work, but audiences could only appreciate, embrace, and understand its significance if and only if Jordan Susanto were diligent enough to perform this album on live stages. When I attended Jordan Susanto Live!, I was greatly touched by the view of so many of my fellow concertgoers who actually paid attention to the stage and got enthralled by Jordan Susanto’s electrifying energy — instead of focusing on capturing the so-called ‘moments’ on their phone lenses. And it personally frustrated me that I haven’t heard any news of more live shows by Jordan Susanto to introduce this album ever since. Jordan Susanto Live! and his AMI Award victory should not be the end of the Jordan era.
Another Jordan Susanto’s double-edged sword is how, as a musician, he doesn’t exactly fit into any clear mould — which, once again, can be a quandary or a golden opportunity. He is neither a pop-boy-next-door akin to Arsy Widianto, Nyoman Paul, and Nadhif Basalamah nor a humble indie rebel akin to Baskara Putra, Sal Priadi, and Fiersa Besari. Like it or not, Jordan Susanto must carve his own path. And, probably to Jordan Susanto’s chagrin, Indonesian music audiences still value clarity over creativity. The odds are stacked against him, but if Jordan Susanto succeeds, the result could be systemically groundbreaking.
For worse or for better, those aforementioned double-edged swords could not be addressed by Jordan Susanto alone, but also by the team that supports, guides, and advises this young talent. History has recorded how incredibly talented musicians immediately stumble into the rocks just because of strategic missteps or failure in properly reading the market and the Indonesian music audiences’ energy. Even though I’m a music journalist, I could not be the only person who realised that something magical was just born here at the hollow grounds of M Bloc Live House that fateful Thursday night. That is why I decided to review this album now. I hope that, just because the year 2024 has passed, music audiences don’t hastily move on from Jordan. And I hope Jordan Susanto doesn’t, either.
All images are courtesy of Stephany Azali & Jotown Records.