Devotion

by Jessie Ware

Overview

A handful of collaborations released during 2010 and 2011 hinted at Jessie Ware's range and potential. The singer outclassed her fellow vocalists on SBTRKT's SBTRKT and Joker's The Vision; she displayed exquisite restraint on the former's "Right Thing to Do," while she had her way with the latter's lancing title track. Along with the two low-key 2011 singles, "Valentine" and "Strangest Feeling," there were indications that Ware was capable of making something like Devotion -- an album of uncommon depth, a sophisticated but stimulating hybrid of pop, soul, and adult contemporary. Ware works extensively with Dave Okumu, Julio Bashmore, and Kid Harpoon, but it's Okumu -- a member of the Invisible, as well as an affiliate of Bugz in the Attic and Matthew Herbert -- who is most responsible for helping Ware prance across the tightrope that comes with making subtle, sophisticated music. Ware's voice is an instant draw. Her whispers are as powerful as her wails. Whenever the lyrics read like they're aiming for the profound but appear hollow, she rescues them with elegance and power impressive enough to astound any of the elders to whom she has been compared -- Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox, Sade Adu, and Lisa Stansfield included. Take the weakest link, "No to Love"; the repeated exasperation "Who says no to love?" seems utterly ridiculous, but the delivery fits into the all-consuming heartache that is alternately concealed and exposed throughout the set's duration. If this isn't the album of the year, it's at least the art-pop album of the year, or the neo-sophisti-pop album of the year, or -- beside Frank Ocean's Channel Orange -- the alternative R&B album of the year. As far as "proper music" from the U.K. is considered, it belongs in a class with Roxy Music's Avalon, Sade's Diamond Life, the Blue Nile's Hats, and Caron Wheeler's UK Blak. [Devotion was released on LP in early 2013.] ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	04/16/2013
Label:	Interscope
UPC:	0602537354979
Rank:	124276

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Devotion
2. Wildest Moments
3. Running
4. Still Love Me
5. No To Love
6. Night Light

Disc 2

7. Swan Song
8. Sweet Talk
9. If You're Never Gonna Move
10. Taking In Water
11. Something Inside
12. Imagine It Was Us

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jessie Ware   Primary Artist,Vocals,Synthesizer
Sampha   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
A$AP Rocky   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Anup Paul   Bass,Guitar
Dave Okumu   Rap,Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Finger Snaps,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Robin Mullarkey   Cello,Piano,Guitar
Kid Harpoon   Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Lexxx   Synthesizer Bass
David Corney   Synthesizer
Julio Bashmore   Guitar
Leo Taylor   Drums
Robin McUllarkey   Cello
Dornik   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Tom Hull   Composer
Disclosure   Remixing
James Napier   Composer
Jessie Ware   Composer
Velour   Producer
Nigel Glasgow   Engineer
Alfons Fernando Kettner   Composer
Breyner Baptista   Composer
Brendon Harding   Engineer
Brey Baptista   Composer
Hassan Hamandi   Composer
Sampha Sisay   Composer
Laura Dockrill   Composer
Will Archer   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Bobby Caldwell   Composer
Matthew Walker   Composer
Matt Walker   Composer,Composer
Dave Okumu   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Cello Arrangement
Robin Mullarkey   Programming,Additional Production
David Emery   Pro-Tools
Tom Elmhirst   Mixing
Dougal Lott   Assistant Engineer
Stuart Hawkes   Mastering
Lewis Hopkin   Mastering
Kid Harpoon   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Additional Production
Jack McKenna   Assistant Engineer
Jessica Ware   Composer
Lexxx   Mixing
David Corney   Composer
Julio Bashmore   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Additional Production
Sampha   Producer
Dan Vinci   Engineer
Rakim Mayers   Composer
Timmaz Zolleyn   Composer
Dave Corney   Composer
Thomas Hull   Composer