Jessie Ware, who was nominated for three awards at this year’s Music Review
Database ceremony (if you want to call it that,) has been busy of late promoting
her name. Having already released the single "Strangest Feeling"
before her debut album Devotion in 2012, and as an included track on the
iTunes 'deluxe edition', she released an EP titled If You're Never Gonna
Move, the US title for single "100%" thanks to a civil musical dispute
in sampling. There was then a 'Polish gold edition bonus disc', featuring some
live singles, and now 'The Gold Edition', which features remixes and this
single "Imagine It Was Us". Ware's label Island Records have clearly
taken a page out of Lana Del Ray's 'work of art' life, with promotion,
advertising and repetition. Let’s look beyond all the background nonsense and
focus on the music, as Ware is an exceptional artist and one of Britain’s promising
female contributors to the world stage of both pop and alternative.
"Imagine It Was
Us" is another 90s-esque dance floor hit, with respect to both 90s
dance music and today's generation of r&b. The spongy beats are drenched in
reverb, with a synthesizer that rips through the track like a Sade turned The
XX instrumental. Again, Ware delivers a splendid vocal, worthy of attention in
the club and chart market. She doesn’t wail and can reach the high notes as she
does on the chorus, one of her highlights.
Devotion was all about the samples, the mood and how the album worked
as a track by track album. With continued success under a major record label,
Ware will back away from the album format and lean towards breaking markets
across Europe and North America, after already grabbing both sections of music
lovers in the United Kingdom. She can reach the heights if she wants to; she
has the ability, the backing and the professional musical production of Julio
Bashmore behind her.
~Eddie
