It’s fitting that Jessie Ware and SBTRKT have both released
their second albums at the same time (well, two weeks apart). On the producer’s album, Ware was just an
unknown featured vocalist but since then she’s flourished into a fully-fledged
artist whose debut album ‘Devotion’ was stunning. Now, with ‘Tough Love’, she’s grown into the
popstar she was always meant to be.
At first listen, though, ‘Tough Love’ is merely an extension
of her previous work. The opening title
track is a brooding take on her retro-futuristic soul, with an 80s feel
reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper or Prince, but for the most part the album has the same
polished sound we’ve come to expect, unrequited loved at the heart of the lyrics. That’s largely owing to some familiar producers,
namely Julio Bashmore and Dave Okumu. Cruel, for instance has a popping beat
similar to that from Still Love Me,
whilst Sweetest Song has that same
intoxicating mix of R&B rhythms, clipped beats and soulful vocals that
predominated ‘Devotion’. It’s a style
that sounded phenomenal in 2012 and it still sounds fresh two years later.
There are plenty of changes with ‘Tough Love’ though, albeit
subtle. Where ‘Devotion’ was production
heavy to establish Ware’s sound, this new work places greater emphasis on Ware
the singer and songwriter. For starters
her vocal is much higher in the mix, more prominent above the deep basslines
and pulsing beats. It's also
increased in power and range. The
whispering falsetto verses and deeper choruses of Tough Love, for instance, came about with Ware “experimenting with [her]
voice and having fun with it”. It’s
cliché to say, but this is the voice of a much more confident artist – it’s the
confidence of a singer who’s realised she can step fully into the limelight and make some money from her talent.
This is the dilemma at the heart of ‘Tough Love’. There’s tension between maintaining her
original sound and stretching it towards a mainstream audience, not just the
critics. Say You Love Me is the keenest example of this – a collaboration
with Ed Sheeran that has the stamp of both artists all over it, with its percussive
guitar riffs and soaring gospel finale. It’s
the emotional centrepiece of the album that provides Ware with her most
chart-friendly hit, though it’s equally missing the raw
melancholy of its ‘Devotion’ counterpart Wildest
Moments.
Then there’s the fizzing synth pop of Champagne
Kisses that has single written all over it – as with Tough Love, it was produced by Benzel
(Benny Blanco and Two Inch Punch) who bring a real sense of depth and warmth to
their tracks. Want Your Feeling, meanwhile, was produced by the ever-popular Dev
Hynes who brings his trademark funk guitars and sense of breezy 80s pop. And remember Miguel, after he jumped on a poor fan? He co-wrote a number of tracks
here, his influence heard most obviously on the smooth funk of You & I. Despite the greater number of collaborators,
the album remains instantly recognisable as Ware’s work: sleek, polished and understated,
just pushed towards the pop end of the spectrum.
Within this, long-term collaborator Bashmore offers the
quirkiest track of the album. The Casio
keyboard sounds of Keep On Lying are
part relaxed bossa nova and part lift music.
At the least it provides some experimentation when the rest of the album
settles into a familiar groove.
There’s no doubt that ‘Tough Love’ is a sumptuous collection
of songs, not forgetting the orchestral drama of Pieces or the minimalist atmosphere of Desire. Yet following up on an
album like ‘Devotion’ is always going to be tricky and the comparisons are
unavoidable – ‘Tough Love’ lacks the same depth of emotion, the edginess, the
sense of cool. What it does do is cement
Jessie Ware as an incredibly talented British popstar with enough crossover
appeal to satisfy critics and public alike.
4/5
Gizzle’s Choice:
* Tough Love
* Say You Love Me
* Champagne Kisses
Listen: ‘Tough Love’ is available from 13th
October.