Concert review: Jessie J crackled with energy at Atlanta's Center Stage

That she was four days removed from singing with a legendary graybeard on the Grammys – the inimitable Tom Jones – speaks to the level of respect she has garnered from at least one veteran.

No doubt, Jessie J (is she technically "J" on second reference?) can sing anything. Glossy soul? Yep, just cue up "Keep Us Together." R&B-dusted pop? No problem, as evidenced on "Abracadabra." How about a little hip-hop-rock? Have you heard the intoxicating double-clap beat behind "Burnin' Up"?

At her sold-out concert Thursday at Center Stage – the first headlining gig she’s played outside of New York and L.A., she said – the 26-year-old songwriter-turned-performer crackled with energy.

Whether playfully batting at one of the guys in her four-piece band, unleashing the occasional Rockette kick or, simply, belting with Lisa Stansfield-eque might, Jessie J thoroughly engaged with the smitten crowd.

She’s been a mighty presence in the U.K. since 2010 – although her last two singles, “Sweet Talker” and “Masterpiece” fared better on the U.S. charts than in her homeland – but still hasn’t quite broken through in America.

The ubiquitous “Bang Bang,” which paired her with pop princess Ariana Grande and rap empress Nicki Minaj (and closed her 80-minute set on Thursday), introduced her to legions of Top 40 listeners.

But Jessie J will continue to struggle to reach, say, Katy Perry levels of stardom here because her songs, while hooky and genre-spanning, aren’t distinctive.

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Just hearing the elastic groove of “Domino” pouring off the stage reminded that these earworms are so generic, they could be sung by Demi Lovato or Selena Gomez or Tove Lo.

Jessie J might be the best singer of the bunch (she is), but her music needs to be more identifiable, like her personality – candid and intense.

When she shared how she’s grown as a songwriter and said, earnestly, “I’ve never lip-synced a day in my life,” you absolutely believed her. And when she spent 10 minutes during her encore playing the role she fills on “The Voice UK” and giving four people in the audience the opportunity to sing for her, it came off as endearing and, actually, impromptu.

Those are qualities that can’t be taught, unlike the squats and nimble dance moves she exhibited throughout the show; she also impressively popped a fan’s baseball cap onto her head, backward, during the leathery “Do It Like a Dude”.

There is no shortage of talent with Jessie J (though hopefully, for her next tour, she’ll have the bankroll to add a backup singer or two rather than having to rely on those auditory lifts via tracks), and her restructured “Price Tag,” unveiled with edgy guitars and drum fills that segued into a reggae lilt, demonstrated that there is no shortage of creativity, either.

Let’s see more of it.

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