Jorja Smith turns to the dancefloor on her third album, What Are The Odds

Jorja Smith has released her third studio album, What Are The Odds, working across three sessions with executive producer P2J to build what NME's review calls an arresting, club-ready collaborative effort. The 29-year-old Walsall singer has always mixed R&B and house music, the review says, but this time she leans fully into the dancefloor.

NME describes the album as sitting inside a familiar tension: escapist, club-focused production paired with confrontational lyrics about heartbreak, fame and the wear of a decade in the spotlight. On "What's Done Is Done," Smith taunts a guilty ex over a moody, smoky blend of hip-hop and garage: "Do you think about me, do you know it hurt me." On the title track, she raps as much as she sings, a skill the review traces back to her guest verses with Enny and AJ Tracey, warning "that's a thing about a life up high, in the lights you can't see what's off," a line NME reads as a nod to her uneasy relationship with fame.

The review points to "I Lied, You Lied" as an echo of "Little Things," the earlier Smith and P2J collaboration that NME says planted the seed for this album's dance-heavy direction. Smith embraces mystery there, singing "you won't figure me out" over a blend of funky house, jazz and afro-house. The album also features Wizkid on "Alive," where P2J brings in an afrobeats sound the review calls just as natural to Smith as it is to him.

NME also highlights "Young Heart," which it reads as a double meaning: Smith's youthful approach to love, and her place within 2026's afro-house scene, alongside acts like Piano People, Dankie Sounds and GroupTherapy. What Are The Odds is out via FAMM Records on August 21, and Smith has headlined Spotify's new Hometown live series alongside Nemzzz and Beabadoobee around the release.

NME calls the record Smith "at her most comfortable," the point in her catalogue where a decade of writing about heartbreak and fame turns into something she can look back on and laugh about. The album is tracked on the release calendar alongside the rest of this week's new R&B and soul releases.