A return to the disco sounds that Jessie Ware became known for on her newest release, which definitely brings a very impressive and complete record. It is filled with some fun beats, disco vibes and tight instrumentation, it goes from making you want to dance the night away to feeling very emotional on the dance floor. Overall it’s a very emotive, disco record that shows off how impressive the artist can be.
’Spotlight‘ opens the album so well with a building nature and elegant production. It brings you into Jesse’s body of work so magically with it’s jazz and musical theatre influences. You are taken aback by its seducing way too and the vocal delivery being so good. Following on from the impressive opener, ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ is a very confident disco number and extremely desirable with its context, yet I was left wanting a shift after its promising first half.
I could imagine Prince writing this for one of his many side projects with ‘Ooh La La’ and also it has an early NYC 80’s vibe to it. Despite the whole nostalgia of the song possibly being a bit much, it’s a very catchy synth funk track! However next is ’Soul Control’ and has a big Janet Jackson essence to it, that is a lot of fun and not too much for the ears. It has to be said, this is possibly Ware at her most upbeat in terms of rhythm and it is a very good place to have this quicker change on the record!
A grand and expansive chorus hits our ears in the very strong ‘Save A Kiss’. With it’s cool beat and elegant touches of string work woven in, it’s incredibly dramatic and makes you feel like you are exploring the dance floor in a slow motion fashion, a definite highlight. Sadly after I’m not convinced, despite admiring the attempt, in the vulnerable sounding ‘Adore You’, the beat simply sounds draining, though the synths do sound lovely. Later, desperation is found in Jesse Ware’s voice in a dark toned ‘In Your Eyes’. Having such a shift in tone sonically, it really gives the album depth and shows how impressive it is that the album makes you feel so music.
‘Step Into Your Life‘ offers you room to breathe as we hear Jesse letting go with a R’n’B and disco cross over. The tightness in the instrumentation is impressive on the LP but at times it does take away some fun that should be on an album like this, which definitely happens on ‘Read My Lips’ (potentially I’m missing something though). Nevertheless ‘Step into your Life‘ is a lot of fun and one I would definitely revisit later down the line!
Ware must definitely feel proud with how she finishes the album, ‘Remember Where You Are’, is something to talk about for sure. The backing singers brilliantly deliver the main line of ’the heart of the city is burning’ and the artist is singing about how we should remember who‘s around us and who would should love. Potentially a political comment regarding who is in power within the heart of London?
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