Jessica Mauboy - Yours Forever (LP)

Jessica Mauboy’s gift has always been that voice, equal parts satin and steel, able to glide over a hook and then dig in where the feeling lives. Yours Forever leans into that strength. Released on 9 February 2024 through Warner Music Australia, it plays like a homecoming, a confident return to the warm R&B and pop-soul space where she first won hearts, but with the steadiness of someone who has lived a lot of life since Been Waiting and Beautiful.

From the first few tracks you hear the intent. The drums sit crisp and close, bass lines roll rather than thump, and keys glow with that late afternoon shimmer. You can tell the sessions prized vocals and feel over studio flash. Mauboy stacks harmonies in a way that recalls classic girl-group arrangements, then cuts through them with a lead take that sounds both effortless and carefully shaped. Nothing feels rushed. Even the snappier tempos carry a relaxed pocket, like a band that knows exactly where the song should breathe.

“Give You Love,” her 2023 duet with Jason Derulo, is the easy entry point. The chemistry is real, more conversation than vocal showpiece, and it sets a tone for the album’s generosity. She is not trying to out-sing anyone. She is trying to tell you something plainly. The production leaves space for that. Little guitar flickers answer the chorus, background vocals swell and fade like tides, and the beat stays patient. It is modern radio pop, but it carries the warmth of classic R&B.

What hits hardest across Yours Forever is how grounded it feels in Mauboy’s story. She has always been open about her roots in Darwin and the way family anchors her. These songs echo that, not as memoir chapters, but as lived-in scenes. One minute she is beaming, the next she is looking over her shoulder at the years that got her here. When the ballads arrive, they do not spiral into syrup. They move with a quiet confidence, melody first, sentiment earned. When the tempo lifts, she never sacrifices the human touch. Percussion pops, bass walks, and a little church creeps into the ad-libs.

It is easy to imagine these songs blooming on stage. Mauboy remains a natural performer, the kind who can turn a mid-tempo cut into a singalong just by riding the groove a little harder. If you have seen her coach on The Voice Australia, you know she hears the details that matter. That ear shows up in the arrangements here. Bridges actually bridge. Middle eights feel like small revelations rather than obligatory detours. Final choruses carry just enough extra harmony or ad-lib to make the landing feel new.

Spin this on a good setup and you will hear why the Yours Forever vinyl is worth hunting down. The low end sits round and supportive, the cymbals feel airy rather than splashy, and those stacked harmonies open up in a way that digital listening can flatten. If you are crate-digging at a Melbourne record store or browsing vinyl records Australia wide, this is the kind of modern pop-soul LP that slots beautifully between your classic R&B staples and your contemporary Australian favorites. And if you buy Jessica Mauboy records online, make a point of grabbing this alongside earlier Jessica Mauboy albums on vinyl to hear the arc of her catalog in sequence.

There is also a quiet confidence in sequencing. The record flows like a night drive, all smooth transitions and soft light, with just enough peaks to keep you leaning forward. No track feels like filler. Even the songs built from familiar pop parts carry Mauboy’s fingerprints, the way she clips a phrase or lets a note bloom. That personality is the difference between a tidy playlist and an album you want to live with.

Yours Forever does not try to reinvent Jessica Mauboy. It does something braver. It trusts that the core of what makes her compelling is still the draw, now burnished by time and perspective. If you have loved her since the early days, this will feel like a friend you have not seen in a while, walking back through the door with new stories and the same easy laugh. And if you are just discovering her while hunting for Jessica Mauboy vinyl, here is a set that shows her at full clarity, singing with purpose, surrounded by production that knows when to step up and when to step back. Put it on, let the room glow a little, and you will understand the title.