Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? (Review)
In late 2018 however, things began to change with the release of standalone single "Overtime", a derivative yet intoxicating disco single in the style of Donna Summer, strong on the synths and bringing back the much needed groove of her debut album. It was a return to form for sure, although it wasn't until the release of "Adore You" in February 2019 that I became convinced of Jessie's transition into truly quality music. It was a single overlooked by many, but for me it was the perfect encapsulation of Jessie's best qualities as an artist, not simply delivering on the gorgeous retro synths but also on the emotionality of Glasshouse and the sensuality of Tough Love. It was one my favourite songs of last year, and one I was pleasantly surprised to find was included on this new album of hers, an album in a league of its own when compared to all her previous works.
Opening up the album with subtle strings and piano, "Spotlight" acts as a transition away from Glasshouse and into a new era of disco is blindingly evident as the gorgeous synth bass and crunchy drums come in, introducing the vibe and sound of the album in a wonderfully atmospheric way that's driven primarily by Jessie's own sultry vocals. It picks up with the reintroduction of strings in the second verse, the song taking as much time as it needs to develop itself into an honestly beautiful that needs to be experienced in the full five and a half minutes, the radio edit she released before the album now insufficient and unfulfilling. As the song glides gracefully away, the second track "What's Your Pleasure?" comes in with an instantly attention demanding bassline that sets up what's arguably the grooviest track on the album. The rest of the song features the same flawless production as the opener, only this song is more instrumentally brave as it features not only a magnificently watery synth moment in the post chorus, but also a guitar solo in the gratifyingly long outro to the song.
Now, the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to the phenomenal quality of the opening two songs, but there are plenty more moments across the tracklist that show off similar great ideas and solid execution of a style of pop music that's undeniably oversaturated in 2020. Thankfully, Jessie's album is solid enough to stand out from the masses, and although it may not boast quite the same commanding energy and variety of Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia I can't help preferring Jessie's take on the same disco vibe as the more consistent of the two albums. It has songs that are entrancing like "Adore You" and "Spotlight", thrilling dance tunes like "Soul Control" and "What's Your Pleasure" and even some songs that take a turn for something more ominous and dark like "In Your Eyes" and "The Kill". In this way, what it may lack in variety of style it makes up for in variety of tone, so many of the album's tracks resting comfortably above a level of quality that I had always hoped for but never previously experienced from a Jessie Ware release, and I couldn't be happier at the outcome.
TRACK RATINGS (/10)
1. Spotlight - 9
2. What's Your Pleasure? - 9
3. Ooh La La - 6
4. Soul Control - 8
5. Save A Kiss - 8
6. Adore You - 9
7. In Your Eyes - 9
8. Step Into My Life - 7
9. Read My Lips - 6
10. Mirage (Don't Stop) - 8
11. The Kill - 8
12. Remember Where You Are - 8
BREAKDOWN
Ambition: 6
Atmosphere: 9
Catchiness/Enjoyability: 9
Content/Ideas: 7
Emotion/Engaging: 8
Execution: 9
Production: 9
Structure: 9
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Lyrics: 7
Vocals/Flows: 9
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Total: 82
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