Jessie Ware - Tough Love
Tough Love
Jessie Ware
Tiger Rating: 7.5 / 10
Urban Pop
In a day where the pop market is literally saturated by estrogen fueled anthems and sleazy antics, Jessie Ware has managed to set herself apart from her cavorting peers and rise elegantly above them as the fresh faced, classy, vulnerable and undeniably talented alternative. With both feet firmly rooted in the mid 80's slow jam, R & B / pop throwback sounds, not only does she have style and irresistible charm, but she has successfully managed to update a genre that was both tired and deplorably cheesy. She's quite a package. And when she gets it right, boy does it burrow under your skin and provide you with luscious ear candy for months on end without losing it's flavour. On the other hand, much of her debut album, though it was very accomplished and had a strong identity, ended up being a lot of very polished filler. The same pattern has happened again here to some extent: some truly exceptional pop tracks that have the potential to be all time classics, nestled in with some rather generic yet not awful filler.
Jessie has fearless ambition, maybe due in part to the amount of people she has worked with since being a back up singer for Jack Penate at the beginning of her career. SBTRKT and Florence & the Machine in particular were instrumental in giving her the leg up she needed. This time working with Ed Sheeran (ugh), Kid Harpoon, Dave Okumu, Julio Bashmore, Miguel, James Ford, Nineteen85, and even R & B wunderkind Sam Smith, I believe, has perpetuated Ware's open minded approach and fuller sound. At least she is not too set in her adult contemporary ways. She will never be the aggressive diva type. On her debut she was often wide-eyed and insecure. It was cute and endearing, but on 'Tough Love' she gets a little more confident. This newfound confidence expresses itself as the laid back, seductive type. She knows she can lure you in and make you love her. 'Kind Of... Sometimes... Maybe', unlike the indecisive title, is fully aware that it is seducing you and that you will not resist.
When she gets introspective and rueful like on 'Pieces', even her doubt is attractive, and rather than whine, she purrs. And in each song like this (regret fueled), she comes to more decisive conclusions. With retrospection comes perspective and it's encouraging to be part of Jessie's journey towards enlightenment.
'Tough Love', like her debut, is a stuffed album. This accounts for some of the filler, unfortunately. Tracks like 'Cruel', 'Sweetest Song' and 'Want Your Feeling' sound as if they were included due to sentimentality, rather than conviction that they are stand out tracks. They don't quite stand up under the weight of genius of tracks like 'Tough Love' and 'You & I (Forever)'. The jittery, trip hop beats of 'Keep On Lying' pushes Ms. Ware very effectively out of her comfort zone musically, whilst retaining her gentle, fern-unfurling kind of self realization.
Jessie Ware puts it all out on the emotional level. That's what sets her apart from her desperate rivals. Whilst artists like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift might let it all hang out in classless or cliched ways, Jessie Ware tentatively exposes her heart. And that's a beautiful thing.
WVS
Jessie has fearless ambition, maybe due in part to the amount of people she has worked with since being a back up singer for Jack Penate at the beginning of her career. SBTRKT and Florence & the Machine in particular were instrumental in giving her the leg up she needed. This time working with Ed Sheeran (ugh), Kid Harpoon, Dave Okumu, Julio Bashmore, Miguel, James Ford, Nineteen85, and even R & B wunderkind Sam Smith, I believe, has perpetuated Ware's open minded approach and fuller sound. At least she is not too set in her adult contemporary ways. She will never be the aggressive diva type. On her debut she was often wide-eyed and insecure. It was cute and endearing, but on 'Tough Love' she gets a little more confident. This newfound confidence expresses itself as the laid back, seductive type. She knows she can lure you in and make you love her. 'Kind Of... Sometimes... Maybe', unlike the indecisive title, is fully aware that it is seducing you and that you will not resist.
When she gets introspective and rueful like on 'Pieces', even her doubt is attractive, and rather than whine, she purrs. And in each song like this (regret fueled), she comes to more decisive conclusions. With retrospection comes perspective and it's encouraging to be part of Jessie's journey towards enlightenment.
'Tough Love', like her debut, is a stuffed album. This accounts for some of the filler, unfortunately. Tracks like 'Cruel', 'Sweetest Song' and 'Want Your Feeling' sound as if they were included due to sentimentality, rather than conviction that they are stand out tracks. They don't quite stand up under the weight of genius of tracks like 'Tough Love' and 'You & I (Forever)'. The jittery, trip hop beats of 'Keep On Lying' pushes Ms. Ware very effectively out of her comfort zone musically, whilst retaining her gentle, fern-unfurling kind of self realization.
Jessie Ware puts it all out on the emotional level. That's what sets her apart from her desperate rivals. Whilst artists like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift might let it all hang out in classless or cliched ways, Jessie Ware tentatively exposes her heart. And that's a beautiful thing.
WVS
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