Jessie Ware "That! Feels Good" (2023)

 

Following up on the stunning What's Your Pleasure, singer-songwriter Jessie Ware leans even harder into this craft of love. Going beyond a revivalist sentiment, her passionate presence and luminous instrumentals play like a force of infection pulling one into a personal fantasy from a bygone era. These songs ooze with class, as a slick production steeped in attitude. A return to the glory of 70s Disco, Funk and Pop, steeped with a little 90s Dance pianos, House grooves and Daft Punk sensibilities.

The opening stretch has a groovy rhythmic persuasion. A beautiful balance is stuck, inspired words swoon over mighty bold melodies, full of upbeat jovial spirit, striving forth with a dance-able confidence. The theme of empowerment in pursuit of pleasure and indulgence is executed with warmth and compassion. A very humanist oriented energy emanates, painting vivid images of fun social parties and the nightlife bliss.

Past its first five songs, a few tracks hit a subtle difference in stride. It seems 70s cheese and less favorable cliches of that era get a keen focus. Raunchy "wink wink" lyrics, chirpy melodies and quirky hooks paint an interesting picture of bygone trends, reviving them with a lot of energy. Initially, these crude strides turned me off but repetition has worked its charm. I'm still not sold but I can't deny its a brilliant exercise in taking dated ideas and putting on polish, while clearly having fun in the process.

Between those numbers, the music looses some of that opening vibrancy. Perhaps the endless upbeat march is a little much for me. I loved how the previous record moved into theatrical strides with emotive beats, leaning to the melancholy alongside adorning string sections. This effort felt strictly settled on its Disco dance floor orientation. The moody shift of Lightning lacks a spark on the way out to provide that variance. Overall, That! Feels Good has some absolutely brilliant, infectious music but it waivers when leaning harder into its mightily enthused ideas over and over again.

Rating: 7/10

Jessie Ware "What's Your Pleasure" (2020)

Nostalgia revival has been a recurring theme across the musical spectrum in recent years. Strangely, the better of it all doesn't feel nostalgic at all. That's what we have here, a plunge into the past that pulls out the finest moments with precision. What's Your Pleasure looks back through the aesthetics, ideas and instrumentation of Disco, Dance, Pop, Soul and Funk's glory years and brings them to life once again with twelve stunningly charismatic songs, all with something unique to offer.

 The record is a classy affair. Kicking off with its catchy dance floor numbers one will be lured in by its attitude, jive and confident energy. A general sense of the eighty and Synth-pop resides here. A pivot in the midsection runs through some modern downtempo driven atmospheric tunes to relax the tempo. These deep moods recur again in its final phase shuffled between more classic vibes culminating in the timeless Remember Where You Are, a song for the ages. Its cinematic theme and swells of warm, sunny smiles are utterly classic and moving every time it closes the album.

 Jessie is the glue. The stylistic pivots and musical diversity are held together by her unassuming voice. With power and emotion she sings without an obvious distinction most singers catch my ear with. She is well composed, strong and sings with confidence through the ranges that stretches to the breathy voice on occasion. Her attitude and posture matches the tone of these numbers on every track and her common presence unifies. Tracks like Ooh La La and In Your Eyes sound miles apart separately but with her guidance its all comes together in the grander experience.

The instrumentals are a delicacy. Aesthetically every sound is lavish and stunning. The tone, and temperament of these instruments are gorgeous. The bass guitar oozes with texture as it prowls along as the musical backbone. Brief ushers of guitar licks shimmer in the breeze and the diverse pallet of percussive sounds get worked in to suit its songs main stylistic focus. The synth work too is sublime, from big and bold to soft and subtle everything is a joy to indulge with and take in.

Musically, many of the ideas lack true originality with its roots in the deeply explored styles of past but in execution the song writing hits the mark with a stunning sense of charisma. The best comes from the overlaps of 70s and 80s era moods with the more modern House and Downtempo beat frameworks. Another stunning aspect is the deployment of these upfront, in your face cheesy synths. Once a retro stain of the 80s, in this context it is wonderfully worked around the attitude of Jessie on a couple of songs, making much fun of a once dated style.

These songs have life, soul and experience to them. Ranging from boisterous fun and flirtatious struts to weepings of heart breaks and pains suffered, Jessie puts her personality into every moment. It all comes with a gleam of uplift. Often fun and playful, even its reflective, melancholic tracks resolve to a positive space.

All in all this is one heck of a production. What's Your Pleasure sets the bar high as it explores some nostalgic ideas, bringing them back in style and with relevancy. Ive delved into this one deep. Its got swooning spells throughout although favorites do emerge as some of the Synth-pop and Funk tracks tire on many repetitions. Its Downtempo and classic old school string section, diva led pop tracks are a delight, occasionally tugging on my heart strings. Its dance-able throughout with plenty of groove and attitude to boost your spirits. This is the sort of record you can recommend to anyone who isn't pegged into a musical corner.

Favorite Tracks: Spotlight, What's Your Pleasure, In Your Eyes, Step Into my Life, Mirage, Remember Where You Are

Rating: 9/10