ITunes Session (Jessica Mauboy EP)

Background and promotion

In June 2014, it was announced that Mauboy would be releasing an iTunes Session extended play (EP) exclusively on the iTunes Store. She said of the EP's release, "I am thrilled to record my first iTunes Session to deliver something really special and unique for all my fans worldwide on iTunes." iTunes Session was recorded live in one take with a full band at 301 Studios in Sydney. In an interview for InStyle magazine, Mauboy revealed that she channeled Mariah Carey on the EP, saying: "Everyone knows I'm a Mariah fan and I've drawn a lot of inspiration from watching and listening to her live performances." She also added that Carey's live version of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" had "a vocal rawness" in it that she wanted to showcase on the EP. It was noted that the EP would see Mauboy join the likes of Bernard Fanning, The Black Keys, Emeli Sandé, Kelly Clarkson and Lykke Li who have also released iTunes Session EPs in the past.

The seven-track EP was released on 18 July 2014. It contains rearranged live versions of Mauboy's hit singles "Running Back", "Burn", "Inescapable", "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)" and "Never Be the Same", as well as live cover versions of The Miracles' "Who's Loving You" and Frank Ocean's "Thinkin Bout You". In an interview for Spotlight Report, Mauboy stated that she chose to record "Thinkin Bout You" because she "felt really connected" to the song and was amazed by how "musically intelligent" Ocean is. As part of the promotion for iTunes Session, Mauboy performed on The Dan & Maz Show (15 July 2014) and Today (22 July 2014). To coincide with the EP's release, she took over as the radio host for Nova FM on 20 July 2014 from 1.00pm to 3:00pm.

Reception

Marcus Floyd from Renowned for Sound gave iTunes Session four-and-a-half out of five stars and praised Mauboy's vocals on "Inescapable", "Burn", "Never Be the Same" and "Who's Loving You". He also described the whole arrangement on "Running Back" as "genius" and noted that Mauboy "tackles Frank Ocean's 'Thinkin Bout You' with more justice than the original." Floyd called the EP "a masterpiece" and wrote that the songs "shine bright and give listeners a familiar listening experience in unfamiliar territory." For the issue dated 28 July 2014, iTunes Session debuted at number 25 on the ARIA Albums Chart and became the second highest new entry that week. The EP fell out of the chart's top one hundred the following week.