Jessie Ware
What’s Your Pleasure?
PMR/Interscope
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Upon its release in August 2012, Jessie Ware’s debut song cycle Devotion was nothing short of a sensation. In the lead-up to its reveal, three singles had gone out ahead of the record—all excellent—to create a critical buzz for the British chanteuse to ensure her long player would enjoy permanence on every “year-end” list imaginable.
When Ware followed up Devotion with Tough Love (2014) and Glasshouse (2017), it found her further refining her brand of unique pop-soul. Ware went for a warmer, more open-ended approach with Glasshouse to evince that she could break (ever so slightly) with the expectation of what her sound was capable of.
After such a strong three album arc, what could she do next to come close to that trifecta?
The answer comes in the form of the delightfully audacious title of Ware’s fourth studio collection What’s Your Pleasure? As with the three albums that preceded What’s Your Pleasure?, Ware casts a wholly singular aural space accessible to everyone—the loyalists, the uninitiated. Only this time, Ware comes across as totally in sync with her power—she takes no prisoners with this effort.
Her love of classic and contemporary rhythm and blues has been with Ware since Devotion. It was what allowed her to cultivate a broad audience coalition with black and white audiophiles. This same awareness sits at the heart of What’s Your Pleasure? where throughout the LP, Ware demonstrates that she is an ardent student of the space between disco’s semi-peak in 1979 and the immediate post-disco, black dance music slipstream from 1980 through to 1984.
The references abounding on the wax showcase Ware’s knowledge. On one end, a listener will encounter shades of A Taste of Honey, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Cheryl Lynn, and Donna Summer. On the other end of the spectrum, echoes of Klymaxx, Cherelle, the Mary Jane Girls, and, of course, Teena Marie are present too. However, Ware wisely doesn’t slip into simplistic recall of glories past, she absorbs and filters these influences through her own writing and performances.
In addition to her enduring interest in soul music, electronics—in both old school and new school configurations—remain a core tenet for Ware as well. Out of this combination springs forward an exciting sonic tension between the organic and inorganic elements active in the record’s production. Said production is the actualization of Ware’s vision per the superb coterie of creatives she recruits to aid her. Notable co-writing and tunesmithing personnel for What’s Your Pleasure? includes (but is not limited to) Alexandra Govere, Daniel Parker, Clarence Coffee Jr., Joseph Mount, Benjamin “Benji B” Benstead, and James Ford. Ford’s name will no doubt stand out to Ware devotees, as he was a key peer from Tough Love. Collectively, Ware’s collaborators spare no expense for her on this scintillating affair.
She begins What’s Your Pleasure? with “Spotlight,” a stunning number that combines cool, electro-R&B rhythms with symphonic embellishments—to call it an instant classic would be an understatement.
Ware continues in this decadent sonic vein balancing digital texturing and live instrumentation in the arrangements of “Soul Control” and “Adore You,” the twitchy danceability of the former track and nebulous, neon pulse of the latter composition are each ideal for the afterhours crowd.
As the album spins, its filmic string accompaniments (“In Your Eyes”) and steamy rhythm sections (“Step Into My Life”) make each individual song an immersive experience all its own in spite of how well all twelve sides function together as a complete album.
Parting from the pack are three specific selections, two that can only be described as “Ware classics”—“Save a Kiss,” “Remember Where You Are”—and another—“Mirage (Don’t Stop)”—whereby she cleverly repurposes Bananarama’s enduring 1984 gem “Cruel Summer” into a semi-tribal clubber destined to go down as a highlight in her discography.
Vocally, Ware is in impeccable form as she alternates between the sensual, the sensitive and the coquette to impart themes of dancefloor escapism, troubled romance, and solace. All these song texts are attended to with care by Ware whose singing becomes the emotional heart behind the luxurious, nighttime grooves of What’s Your Pleasure?
From the beginning of her career, Ware has always been about the long-term goals of artistic sustainability and integrity. What’s Your Pleasure? deepens the singer-songwriter’s commitment to her craft with the album marking a striking and sultry chapter in her canon. One can be sure that there are even more good things to come from Ware in the future.
Notable Tracks: “Adore You” | “In Your Eyes” | “Save a Kiss” | “Spotlight”
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