Jessie Ware steals the show with the best dance album of the year, if not the best album
By: Jacob Stewart
If Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” didn’t make it clear, this year in music seems to be like a looking glass through past music timbres and genres, probably reinforced by the fact that considering everything that is going on right now, people need escapism to the past more than ever. Not an original thing to point out, as I’m sure everyone who is making media seeks an escape from the worst of it, as it’s a tale as old as time.
However, Jessie Ware does more than just looking at the past; she reinvents the genre, showcases all facets of it, and revels in the aftermath.
What’s Your Pleasure? is the hallmark of 80s dance-pop, with music highlighting old synth funk such as Ooh La La, to the more disco-centric Mirage and house focused Save a Kiss. However, Jessie doesn’t miss. With a stellar cast of producers, every song almost shines on the dancefloor, taking a maximalist approach to the music with so many little details that come in and out on every song, but slick and clean enough that it’s always a backdrop to the main beat and Jessie’s vocals.
What’s easy to love so much about this album is how the wheel turns on every song. The incredible opener Spotlight with its amazing build and strings segues into heavier synth leads on the the title track, seamlessly going straight into funk territory. Soul Control boldly uses a chiptune melody with slightly auto-tuned vocals and pizzicato strings that builds into synths right in your face, as if setting the party on fire. You’re almost yelling along with the “WOO!” Jessie yells. Save a Kiss is easily the best track, reminding me of “Don’t Stop Now” and most of house with building slowly to a chorus that steals you away by dropping everything for the vocals, making the house pace up to Jessie instead of the audience.
I don’t think there’s any closer to an album as good as the ending track Remember Where You Are in terms of what it’s imitating, which is 80s dance music. Even 80s dance albums made missteps on it, while Jessie steals the show.
“The heart of the city is on fire…..”
There’s something to say about the lyrics, which are fitting all that’s required. They’re not emotional lyrics. Rather, Jessie is swimming in the party with teasing and sexual innuendos, because right now she’s not looking to steal your heart. She wants to get down and dirty with the party, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s hilariously at its most blatant with Read My Lips, with Jessie kissing the mic and telling the guy to stop talking and read her lips.
Not everything is perfect here. The middle of the album does take a bump in terms of being less memorable tracks, but even the misses are well produced and easy to listen to. Adore You feels out of place but it’s still a very evocative and mood setter. In Your Eyes feels like it’s missing something in the mix but the driving bass and Bond-esque aesthetic is the killer here.
In the end, this is the album of the year to watch out for. By the time the album was over for me, I wanted to replay it again and again. A listen is just a listen, and it just isn’t enough. But hopefully you’ll also fall in love with the album too.
“Ooh, la-la, open up the door, you know I like it.
Ooh, la-la, chivalry was dead but you revived it.
You can love me one time.
You can love me two, two times.
You get more of my time.
If you’re gonna treat me nice”
