Jason Derulo has had an interesting career musically as primarily an R&B singer, full of many ups and downs. Although he has seemingly lost his ways musically in recent times and this year (2023 at the time of writing) he has been the subject of a sexual harassment case with a fellow co-worker and singer, his early days were the best in his long musical career. This is one of his major EP releases from back in 2011 and was a big hit then, particularly in the clubbing scene of the day. Let’s take a listen to this quick EP and hear if, indeed, it has any listening potential.

Don’t Wanna Go Home obviously samples Robin S’s own huge hit, Show Me Love from the start of the song. Some autotuned vocals enter, and Jason Derulo begins Rapping about some wild nightclub scenarios. Soon enough, some good muted guitar parts enter and this launches into a very anthemic and enjoyable tune if you love contemporary music. Most older listeners will be put off by this music, and to be fair, this is a poor rip-off musically. Still, the lyrics and music are enjoyable if you don’t really care about quality control in music and if you like nightclub tunes from the early 2010s. Good, but not great, Jason Derulo sounds very much like a guy indulging in his successes. In the second half is a brief breakdown, before Jason Derulo sings and raps about picking up a Haitian lady. This is fairly average listening, to be frank. It’s okay, but nothing amazing here. Fairly lame, to be honest.

Don’t Wanna Go Home – Club Junkies Club Mix begins with some digital beats, EDM styled sound patches and sounds really great. This is a seven minute long piece that sounds digital, futuristic and quite good, to be honest. Some samples of Jason Derulo’s voice are present, seeping in and out of the mix. This is quite good compared to the original track. If the main track is trashy R&B, this is a great step up in the correct direction as a good musical alternative. It launches into an excellent mix with the Robin S patch and Jason Derulo’s sampled and cut-up vocals. This is exactly what we need to hear at this point. A tremendous improvement over the original tune, although Jason Derulo’s vocals, even on this version, are fairly atrocious. Despite that, this is a fantastic remix effort that is quality over quantity for the most part, turning an ordinary R&B hit into something more danceable, interesting and listenable. A very interesting listen, and this is a good example of the Primal Scream sort of DJ mix transformation to improve music beyond belief. Nonetheless, this is a really fine and decent remix that deserves your attention, if you dig the history of contemporary music. Awesome remixing with a great sense of dramaticism and detail, this sounds super powerful, fun and cool. A different tune to hear, this is a classy, interesting and great remix that tops the original in terms of musical quality. This is one DJs easily could consider putting in their mix set if they are aiming for contemporary music of the 21st century. Awesome, it ends with some great beats, before concluding well. Cool tune.

Don’t Wanna Go Home – Club Junkies Radio Mix is much shorter and launches straight into a radio edit of the remix before it. To be fair, this isn’t entirely necessary here on this EP. Regardless, it is straight to the point musically and is a quick and good example of how remixing can bring up an average tune to a much better standard. It’s good but really, do we need to hear virtually the same tune twice in a row? Interesting but the track before it makes much more sense. The breakdown in the second half is cool, but this feels like a cut-up tune that doesn’t impress as much as it could. In any case, this sounds okay but not fantastic for its quick edit. The outro sounds great, however.

Don’t Wanna Go Home – 7th Heaven Club Mix begins with pounding 4/4 kick drum beats and sweet textures. It quickly has some other interesting sonic sounds thrown into the mix as well. It begins launching into a very EDM Techno sort of vibe, which sounds really cool. It sounds nothing at all like the original track on this album. Jason Derulo’s vocals are nicely mixed into this remix, and it sounds futuristic and fantastic. The main melody is edited and treated here, sounding really awesome and different. This is definitely cool, especially when the main section emerges throughout this tune. The chorus is played here with the vocals before it launches progressively into the verses at hand. Nonetheless, this is another fantastic remix that is not only underrated but breathes life into the original tune. All in all, this sounds fresh, interesting and amazing to this very day. There is a perfect synthesis of Jason Derulo’s vocals and quirky, interesting sounds throughout. Nonetheless, Jason Derulo has picked some great DJ-styled artists to remix his original hit. This is a sonic trip through contemporary music from 2011, and it does shine bright. A really awesome and top listening experience from both Jason Derulo and 7th Heaven. In the second half, the mix gets interesting and nicely layered in the latter verses, just before a pseudo-Trap beat enters and this builds up to an excellent climax about three quarters of the way through. Nonetheless, a very good listen and proves that anything can be made better with some extra effort put into it. Fine and fantastic music, this sounds mindblowing and great. It ends with a gradual removal of the main elements of the track, before reaching a gradual conclusion with the 4/4 kick drum beat. Sweet.

Don’t Wanna Go Home – 7th Heaven Radio Edit is a shorter version of the rather lengthy remix before it. This is surprisingly superior to the previous track, cutting out a lot of the length and extended nature of it. Jason Derulo’s vocals are placed progressively here, rather than all over the place like before. Nonetheless, a very good and interesting remix that is a somewhat different flavour to the original Don’t Wanna Go Home. It goes to show that anyone can make an average song sound miles better with the right attitude and abilities to do so. A good and decent remix that sounds really awesome and excellent. In the second half, the sounds, samples and singing sound very near perfect. Good to hear that Jason Derulo was open to having his music remixed by different artists. The outro towards the end is ecstatic and euphoric to listen to. Again, a good remix, even if you do not like the music of Jason Derulo that music. It ends with Jason Derulo’s vocals alone, and the EP ends here.

To be fair, this is a fairly throwaway EP. It isn’t outright bad but the original track is very poor, even if the remixes make up for it. Despite that, Jason Derulo’s status as a Pop star was assured here. Although his music may bring up mixed reactions, he knew exactly what he was doing musically here. Sure, it is a blatant rip-off as a main song and the lyrics are rather pathetic, but at least the guy was trying to make a party scene. Should you listen to this EP? Only really if you are a curious R&B fan, otherwise no.

It’s kind of okay but not excellent.

6/10