Jessie Ware, a songstress from South London, is gearing up for her debut album, Devotion, to hit stateside soon. The album, reminiscent of a 90s R&B flashback, is an album devoted to love. The twelve tracks sound like an ode to Sade, but Ware shines in her up-tempo songs (see Imagine It Was Us) as she does in her slow ones. Let’s hope she doesn’t get pigeonholed in either.
Surprisingly the production on this album was not done by an R&B producer at all, but by Dave Okumu, of English alternative rock band, The Invisible. It seems Ware knew what she wanted from the get go on this album—a blend of R&B and pop music—and this seems like the real deal here. Many critics are comparing her between a cross of Whitney and Sade, but Ware fell into singing by accident believe it or not after an attempt as a sports journalist.
Thank goodness the latter didn’t work out because Jessie Ware’s voice is quite heavenly and soothes like a sheet of velvet in the sexy, unforgettable “Taking In Water”, which could easily take the cake as one of the best tracks on the album. The better known “Wildest Moments” gives a taste of what Jessie Ware’s fans are talking about. The album also includes a remixed version featuring ASAP Rocky. Bottom line this album is a timeless one, whether you are having flashbacks or not. It will take its place in history as a solid R&B album that was crafted by one of the names you will hear more of in the near future—Jessie Ware.
