“Turn It Up” is a standout cut from Supercharged, a set of gleaming, high-energy club music by the effortlessly charismatic Kwanza Jones . Those who know Jones only from her soulful Naked series of albums should prepare themselves for an enthusiastic plunge into wonderfully dizzy electronic pop. Supercharged applies those talents to modern music with dazzling results. “Turn It Up” is a good example of how high Jones can take a dance song: the track keeps building, through verses, bridges, choruses, electronic drum buildups and wigged-out synthesizer breakdowns. Every time it seems she’s bound to slow down, she finds another gear. And as she always does, she sings her stanzas of self-affirmation with absolute confidence.
Kwanza Jones is an impressive presence: she radiates sexiness and giddiness in equal measure. In the “Turn It Up” clip, she dominates every frame she’s in — and she’s in almost every frame. Sometimes she shares the red steps with a pair of male dancers, but more often than not, she struts up and down the stairs on her own. The camera also catches her behind the gauzy sheets of a canopy bed and under the green and red gels and mirror ball of a dance club. In its exuberance and kinetic energy, the “Turn It Up” video resembles the 2010 clip for “Think Again,” Jones’s biggest hit (so far!) and a sassy kiss-off to a misbehaving boyfriend. But while the dance moves are every bit as sultry, the attitude is completely different. This time around, Jones is welcoming, and clearly determined to share her joy with the viewer. Not many singers can appear friendly while wielding a riding crop — but then Jones is no average entertainer.
