Jessie Ware - 110% (and everything else she's done)

http://vimeo.com/38905074

hadnt seen it before but this song off the alb is the real deal

"wildest moments" is amazing

fully in love with all the singles now. i think "running" might have shaken out as my favourite so far

think i might be talking to her next week

i'm really taken with how - similar to wynter gordon's newest stuff - ware's vocal strategy is a perfect midpoint between r&b and female singer-songwriter

hmm...I heard "Stimela" and wasn't impressed.

Holy fuck her album is going to be amazing. "Sweet Talk," the latest track to be released, is ANOTHER great track. When the guitars drop in at 2:30... one of the best musical moments of the year. Man this girl's on a roll.

Can we change this thread to "general jessie ware thread" btw i think it's about time

As requested, kinda.

that works. thanks ned!

+1 for Running. Shades of Sade, tasteful trip-hop, etc.

Still I actually liked tasteful trip-hop. Makes me want to go listen to a Moloko record.

That was a good interview BTW, Lex. I wouldn't mind seeing dance music in the UK go classy again like back in the 2-step heyday.

I wouldn't mind seeing dance music in the UK go classy again like back in the 2-step heyday.

I'm not sure this sentence makes sense really? Unless by "2-step" you basically mean MJ Cole and Wookie?

Yeah, and some Dem 2 tracks and Tuff Jam.

And Craig David.

"Wildest Dreams" has insinuated itself into my life so shrewdly.

"Wildest Moments" of course

I love all the singles so far, and I'm hardly into vocal pop, so she must be doing something right (or disastrously wrong).

110% is lovely!

reminds me of Mr Fingers oddly enough

is it in the charts?

the album is really great btw

the beats and production are great but for the most part you don't really think of it as a "uk dance" album - even bashmore's tracks, despite his distinct and characterful style, aren't recognisably him. it's more great production in the fleetwood mac sense, except from the obvious perspective of someone who grew up on ukg and hip-hop coming through in the rhythms and occasional sample. she's great at BIG CHORUSES. she's kinda annie lennoxy in a good way.

I like that description.

It makes me anticipate that this is to UK beats as Bedtime Stories largely is to US beats...? Is that off base?

maybe if i think about it that might make sense but the key difference is that bedtime stories was a very intimate and obviously carnal album, whereas devotion is all sweeping grandeur and emotions writ large and jessie being imperious, and in fact my only (not v meaningful) quibble is that she can't really do lustful very well (like, "running" is superb and all but when i listened to the lyrics i couldn't help but feel it needed a touch more of that about it)

oh i'm relistening now, i forgot how much "sweet talk" reminds me of dâm-funk

ha that's interesting

i'm on my toes waiting for this to leak.

i think my favourite non-single is "night light"

or maybe "taking in water"

of all available stocks and shares on the market 'run to love' sounding v much like loose ends or whatever (plus the bobby caldwell cover i guess) had me most down for a kinda uk boogie britsoul update thing

60% less enthused by other framings

I heard "Wildest Moments" last month when it made the blog rounds, but I'm just now catching up with all the rest. I'm not completely off base by hearing a little Sade in some of this, am I?

ctrl+f tells me no.

wildest moomins is probably her least sade number however just in case you were feeling perceptive there

srsly why does she sing it like that

is it a reflex morrissey tribute thing like what tarrus riley also sometimes does

reminds me of Mr Fingers oddly enough

yeah everytime i hear that riff it reminds me of mr fingers.

rtc do you mean the slight over-emphasis in her singing? the way she sort of says "doncing" in 110 per cent annoys me a bit.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/aug/16/jessie-ware-devotion-album-stream

"Sweet Talk" is good! Love the electric piano.

AOTY

ok this rap verse on "no to love" is pretty bad ugh the song is awesome otherwise

wow this is getting the sort of unanimous buzz on my twitter timeline usually reserved for albums I hate. FOR ONCE I DON'T FEEL LIKE A GRINCH.

(I also can't work out why) (it's very good, obv, but that's not usually the reason for these things)

whoa "night light" is pretty heavy

ha i kind of liked that rap btw

goole, this is just based one listen. he seemed to trip over his flow in spots, little awkward

listen #2 begins now

grrrr fuck this 12" extended dub mix of 'no to love' where is the proper song???

i repeat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqwEPbS71ME

grrrr fuck this 12" extended dub mix of 'no to love' where is the proper song???

― r|t|c, Thursday, August 16, 2012 11:51 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Hmm? Are you saying they included the 12" extended dub mix on the actual album?

also yeah still don't like the rap verse

i was inferring that that's what it sounds like it is in comparison to the live renditions

rtc do you mean the slight over-emphasis in her singing? the way she sort of says "doncing" in 110 per cent annoys me a bit.

This is the usual hazard for posh stage school types trying their hardest not to sound American.

I like this album a lot more than I expected to after the mimsiness of 110%, although serious rolleyes at Tim Jonze's review in the Guardian being all "LOOK, not bland winebar toss, she likes dubstep and Julio Bashmore!" when the best moments are are where the, ahem "UK bass" influence gets out of the way and lets the song breathe a bit.

I've only just heard Finest Moments for the first time. Did they hammer this during victorious video montages during the Olympics because it feels like it's been consciously written for them.

jonze also uses Springsteen as a negative reference point for no discernible reason other than he just wanted to take a shot at Springsteen, bizarre

Whether Ware's early experience as a football reporter – even covering matches for the Jewish Chronicle – helped her hone a simple, direct style is impossible to say. What's undeniable, though, is the fact that Ware has the sweetest vocal style yet to emerge from anyone who previously attended the crucial Boreham Wood v Arsenal XI friendly.

He's trying really hard to be Alexis Petridis bless him.

Best New Music on PFM.

and yet i can't find a copy that isn't the stream yet. sigh

I think this album is good and I wish her continued success and she’s vv likable but for me her twin towers are Devotion and WYP, Tough Love being a couple steps back. She’s so excellent doing the house influenced thing, she works really well within an actual groove. I sort of assume she’ll return to that well once more in the future, this is better than the last one but still not my thing.

It’s one of those “good” albums which is pleasant but it doesn’t grab me. I still remember hearing Devotion and the whole thing just kills, same for WYP. I think her ambition takes her a bit out of her wheelhouse. I don’t begrudge her going for it though.

Yeah, What's Your Pleasure and Devotion are easily her best albums. She just got it exactly right on both of those.

After a few plays, I'd probably put this new one on the same level as Tough Love. Maybe the latter has higher highs, but it also has Say You Love Me which is frustratingly still one of her biggest hits. I seem to enjoy That Feels Good more than most on here, but it does have its issues. After a solid first half it does dip in that second half. Shake The Bottle and Freak Me Now wore off me so quickly and actually started to grate on me after a while. Even the more obvious moments like Mr Valentine, Ride and Don't You Know Who I Am don't on the new one don't sound like she's trying too hard like the weaker moments on That Feels Good.

Surprisingly I'm kinda into most of this record after not caring about the pre-release singles too terribly much. In hindsight, That! Feels Good! might have been her New Jersey, and Superbloom is a reset.

i'll be testing this album out with my kids and report back with utterly pointless findings.

So far not feeling this one as much as the last two albums. Everything is good but only "Automatic" has stuck with me. Her singing is great on the album though, the varying styles help showcase her range

Genuine lol from the Pitchfork review: The songwriting is so chaste and disembodied that an Old Hollywood censor would have no problem greenlighting it. Arms and the sensation of being held by them is the record’s prevailing erotic act, appearing on the title track, “Automatic,” “Love You For,” and “No Consequences.” Ditto “touch,” evoked in such non-descript ways that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was part of a Covid protocol.

I loved this on my first run through

if you wanna
last long-ah
I need faster
I need strong-ah
take me to the sauna

i heard there were some r&b-ish type records on this album, sorta taking it back to the beginning a bit. is that true and if so which ones?

She don't need faster!

Slow me down
Spin me 'round
Come and pitch me up
Pull the plug
On the rug
Baby, keep it up

I want it all the way up, up, up, up, up

I love

I love Superbloom but not sure I'm a good Jessie Ware as I also loved That! Feels Good! Especially the singles.

Oh the "I love" part is not lyrics but got cut off.

Jessie Ware evaluator..as I