JENNIE Ruby

Critic's Take

JENNIE doesn’t merely solo; on Ruby she asserts a persona, and the best songs prove it - listen to “like JENNIE” and “Damn Right” to hear that thread. Joshua Minsoo Kim’s review praises the album’s production ambition and knack for translating BLACKPINK’s tough-girl sound into something blistering and stylish. The reviewer singles out “like JENNIE” for its metallic, baile-funk-meets-phonk beat and “Damn Right” for being the album’s sultry high point, where JENNIE’s hushed hook makes her satisfaction palpable. Even when tracks falter, Kim argues, JENNIE’s charisma carries the record, making these best tracks the ones that most plainly showcase that presence.

Key Points

• The best song, "like JENNIE", crystallizes JENNIE’s tough-girl persona with a convincing bilingual, baile-funk-phonk production.
• The album’s core strength is production ambition and JENNIE’s charisma, which often carries songs even when vocals or lyrics falter.

Themes

Critic's Take

JENNIE arrives more assured than before on Ruby, and the best songs - “Like JENNIE”, “Handlebars (feat. Dua Lipa)”, and “ExtraL (feat. Doechii)” - crystallize that shift. In Maria Letícia L. Gomes's tone, the album’s highs are brash and intimate in equal measure, with “Like JENNIE” as the defining, self-referential hit and “Handlebars” offering sunlit, repeatable pop joy. The collaborations sharpen Jennie rather than overshadow her, while quieter cuts like “twin” and “INTRO : JANE with FKJ” reveal a personal core beneath the gloss. Overall, the record positions Jennie as an artist expanding her palette rather than a member testing the waters.

Key Points

• The best song, “Like JENNIE”, is the album’s defining, self-referential anthem that crystallizes Jennie’s confidence.
• Ruby’s core strengths are confident genre-blending, strong collaborations, and moments of intimate, personal songwriting.

Themes

Critic's Take

JENNIE meets the gaze head-on on Ruby, and the best songs prove why she is more than a figurehead. Tracks like “like JENNIE” and “ZEN” show her seizing control, the former a playful flex and the latter a tension-fuelled powerhouse. Collaborations such as “Handlebars” and “Damn Right” deepen the record without eclipsing her, while R&B-leaning numbers like “start a war” let her voice truly bloom. Read as a whole, Ruby makes a persuasive case for Jennie as a fully realised solo artist.

Key Points

• “ZEN” is the best track because its tension, bristling production and Jennie’s charisma create an off-kilter, irresistible centerpiece.
• The album’s core strengths are confident self-assertion, purposeful collaborations, and a shift toward R&B-infused vocal showcases.

Themes

Critic's Take

JENNIE's Ruby feels like a cloud of candy-coated pop-R&B that keeps flipping beneath you, and the best songs - especially “Handlebars” and “Damn Right” - show why. Maura Johnston writes with amused authority, praising “Handlebars” as a rueful anthem and noting “Damn Right” for its dreamy, Uchis-like atmosphere; those tracks are the album's clearest winners. Lesser highlights like “Mantra” and “Seoul City” keep the momentum, but it's the collaborations that most vividly stick, turning the best tracks on Ruby into showpieces. The result answers the question of the best songs on Ruby by pointing to the duet-driven peaks where Jennie fully commands pop-R&B's center stage.

Key Points

• Collaborations like "Handlebars" and "Damn Right" are the album's standout moments because they showcase Jennie commanding pop-R&B with big hooks and evocative guest turns.
• Ruby's core strengths are its 2000s-2010s R&B-pop sensibilities, polished production, and Jennie's ability to shift mood and persona across short, vibrant tracks.