TRACK REVIEW: Jessie Ware - Soul Control

TRACK REVIEW:

Jessie Ware

PHOTO CREDIT: Samantha Casolari

Soul Control

9.7/10

The track, Soul Control, is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEPwIcHqg8o

GENRES:

Disco/Pop

ORIGIN:

London, U.K.

The album, What’s Your Pleasure?, is available here:

https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/jessie-ware/what-s-your-pleasure

RELEASE DATE:

26th June, 2020

PRODUCERS:

Benji B/James Ford/Joseph Mount/Matthew Tavares

LABELS:

PMR/Friends Keep Secrets/Interscope

TRACKLISTING:

Spotlight

What’s Your Pleasure?

Ooh La La

Soul Control

Save a Kiss

Adore You

In Your Eyes

Step Into My Life

Read My Lips

Mirage (Don't Stop)

The Kill

Remember Where You Are

__________

SO many great albums…

PHOTO CREDIT: Carlijn Jacobs

have come out the past few weeks, and it is hard to keep a track! Many people have been waiting excitedly for a new Jessie Ware album, as 2017’s Glasshouse was truly tremendous. Her new record, What’s Your Pleasure?, is out now, and it is picking up some wonderful reviews! I really like Ware’s sound, and there is a mix of the uplifting and more emotive that ones hears on her latest album. Like all great artists, Ware has progressed between albums and grown stronger and more confident. I am going to bring in a selection of interviews through this review that illustrate my point and discuss Ware from a number of different angles – to get a better impression and overview of this terrific artist. 2012’s Devotion is a brilliant debut, but I think Ware grew as a songwriter and performer after that album. When she spoke with The Guardian earlier in the year, Ware talked about the changes between albums:

“She made a decision when she was making her second and third albums, Tough Love (2014) and Glasshouse (2017), to experiment with a more confessional style of songwriting. Ware has been with her partner, Sam Burrows, a personal trainer, since they were both 17-year-old ravers in south London. On autobiographical tracks such as Night Light and Sam, she wrote about them meeting, marrying and having their first child in 2016. But neither Tough Love nor Glasshouse did as well as her debut, and Ware says she lost quite a bit of money on a US tour in 2018.

“On the first album, lots of wonderful things happened to me. Then, with album two, album three, I saw a different side. It was a bit more of a struggle. Fine. Nobody owed me anything. It was music, not saving lives. I always thought I’d be quite matter-of-fact about it, if the music didn’t work out. But people around me – people I trust – would say: ‘You’re miserable’”.

It must have been difficult arriving with this popular and excellent debut and figuring out how to top that. Inevitably, there were suggestions and offers from other writers and producers. Though Jessie Ware has always worked with collaborators, I think something changed after her debut album. Though her second and third albums are excellent, maybe there was not quite the same brilliance in the creative kitchen as there was with Devotion. Perhaps something changed with Ware in terms of her direction and sound – it is hard to put a finger on it. To me, I feel her latest album is her most complete and singular. It is a culmination of her previous work, with some added wonder. When she was interviewed by The Independent recently, Ware talked about her new material and how she feels like a better and more rounded artist:

“She shunned offers of writing in expensive studios in Los Angeles to work with her friend James Ford – who had produced her 2014 album Tough Love – in his attic studio in Clapton, as well as with collaborators including Kindness, Joseph Mount from Metronomy and her former mentor, Dave Okumu. The experience, she says, gave her faith in her own vision. “I totally feel like an artist now,” she says. “This album really cemented that for me. I do feel like I’m getting better as an artist, I understand myself better than ever”.

I will not labour this point too much, but I thought it would be beneficial talking about artistic evolution and changes when investigating What’s Your Pleasure? I am going to tackle my favourite song from the album very soon, but I want to stick on the topic of Ware’s progression. As I said, I think What’s Your Pleasure? is the artist really hitting her peak, but I look back at her previous album, Glasshouse, and it was clear that she had transitioned and really made a leap there.

That is not to say albums one and two were less personal and complete, yet Glasshouse represented a real explosion and sense of revelation. Ware spoke with Nylon when she was promoting Glasshouse, and she was asked about the tone and personal nature of the album – in addition to the way Ware developed as a songwriter:

“Do you feel more confident with your songwriting? It does seem like you were in a different headspace.

Yes. I had more confidence in myself. I feel like a woman. I feel like I’ve grown into myself lyrically, professionally, and I feel much more in my skin. I also have a bit more experience. [On] the last album, were the first songs I had ever written. I have three years behind me now.

How does Glasshouse differ from Tough Love when it comes to the process of making it and the sound?

I feel like it’s more song-led. I wanted to focus on songs and the art of the songs. I just really wanted to get better as a songwriter.

What does your husband think about the songs that address the struggle you guys experienced?

I don’t think he realizes how many songs are about him, which is kind of brilliant. He’s not really focused on my work, which is great. He comes to support. Maybe he will [realize it] when he sees them live”.

I want to move on now, as there is a lot more to Jessie Ware than the music alone. I think her personal life enforces her music as much as any artist, and I will discuss her podcast, Table Manners, soon enough. Like so many musical parents, children impact songwriting and how you approach your work. For Jessie Ware, it must be a bit of a busy time in the household, what with looking after children and still being under lockdown!

PHOTO CREDIT: You Magazine

I do think there is a lot of creativity and songwriting inspiration to be found regarding motherhood, but the recent situation has been impactful on Ware. I was looking at an interesting interview on the Glamour website, where Ware was asked about all her different projects, motherhood and what impact that has had on her:

“Becoming the mother to two children, has clearly given Jessie an even more positive relationship with her body. “I've never felt more like a super woman than when I've given birth,” she says proudly. “I've had two incredible births, which I really prepped for. I know it can go completely the other way and you never really know how that baby's going to make an entrance. But I looked after myself during the pregnancies, because I felt like I was getting ready for this big marathon, that felt like the unknown!”

With a new album to promote, a podcast that has now spawned a successful cookbook which is of course named, Table Manners and two children under the age of five, Jessie Ware is booked and busy even when the world is still very much lockdown. In this time is she finally relenting on the pressures to do it all as a working mother?

“I don't know if I have loosened up enough. I'm the provider. Actually, I'm more than that. I am the breadwinner and I'm proud to be the breadwinner, and my husband is accepting and supportive of that, and he's the most incredible father. There are no egos there and he knows how motivated I am. Just last night in bed I had a new idea and he's like, ‘Your mind doesn't stop.’ He’s exhausted by me, but also, he's completely supportive of that, too. There’s still this archaic presumption that it should be the other way around, weird, isn't it?” she says, turning the question onto me”.

I will mention Table Manners soon but, as I am writing a feature about continued sexism in music very soon, it is a subject that niggles. I wonder why, after so many years, there have only been small steps regarding equality and balance. I have just sourced from an interview that mentions Ware’s children and juggling quite a busy life. Ware is still a young artist with many years ahead of her but, like her peers, I do think there is this invisible line that they cross – something male artists do not have to face! It seems outrageous that age is a detrimental factor when we think about women in music, and how they are often marginalised when they get to a certain point in life. One would argue that Ware’s new material is her strongest, and her experience, success and motherhood has made her a stronger artist that warrants greater respect and opportunity. As she revealed in the afore-quoted Glamour interview, there are still these barriers:

“I agree, if I was talking to a male star, we would never be having a conversation about how a working father copes with childcare and a career. Jessie thinks sexism is still rife in the music industry and beyond. “They don't ask men how they're going to tour with their children, do they? But you get used to it, you take it with a pinch of salt, and it's also something that I struggled to work out. I once got told that I was being really emotional (in a meeting), and I was being really not-emotional, and I wonder whether they would have said that to a bloke. I didn't rise to it, and I was very calm,” she states. “But you know, it happens. I definitely think there's more of a shelf life for women. I don't want to sound negative because actually I'm able to make the music I want to make, but I'm madly thought of as relatively old and I'm 35!”

It might not seem relevant to mention a podcast when discussing Jessie Ware’s music, but I think the experience of doing that has given her confidence and inspiration. I have listened to the Table Manners podcast a couple of times, and it seems like Ware is really in her element. It is a relaxed forum where we really get to see new sides to Ware, as we do with her guests. I do think the conversations and stories unearthed during each episode has bled into Ware’s consciousness as a songwriter and how she writes. Maybe there is a more conversational and varied approach to her writing and sound now; she has definitely taken something from Table Manners and brought it into the musical fold. As we learn from this recent article in The Guardian, Ware has created a sensation in Table Manners:

“Most of the guests on Table Manners have a drink while they are on, and their hosts certainly do. This means that episodes play out a bit like a Parkinson chat show, only recorded by the catering table with many glasses of red, no scripted questions, no pre-prepared anecdotes and endless conversational tangents. The comedian Alan Carr spilled the beans about his wedding (chief celebrant, Adele), while singer Sam Smith admitted he had always thought Mexico was in central Europe. Sadiq Khan broke the Ramadan fast with the Wares. Yannis Philippakis from the band Foals spoke about getting stabbed by his uncle at a party.

Listeners loved all this, and about 80m episodes of Table Manners have been downloaded since 2017. Ware, who has not yet had a top-10 single, got to experience a smash. The publisher Ebury signed the two Wares to a book deal. A live tour was arranged. Since Table Manners started turning a profit, Ware says, it has relieved some of the money-making imperatives on the music. “Music was my bread and butter. Now it isn’t, not entirely – which has made it more enjoyable. Less do or die”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Maurizio Bavutti

Think about previous albums, motherhood, and the Table Manners podcast, and it all is linked by one word: confidence. Success of previous years has contributed too, but I feel it is Ware’s life away from music that has helped enrich and infuse her songwriting and material. I do think that, if you are more confident and less inhibited as a person, that means the music will be stronger and more nuanced. That is definitely the case with the excellent What’s Your Pleasure? It is an album that is rich with remarkable songs, and at the centre is Ware at her most astonishing and committed. It seems like everything has come together for Ware, and she is more content and comfortable than she has ever been. When she chatted with The Telegraph a few months back, she reflected on her life now:

“She intended the album to sound carefree, and it does, gloriously. After years battling with low self-esteem, Ware, now 35, finally feels comfortable in her own skin. The music amply captures that shift in outlook. Though she had an easy ride as a teenager (despite her parents’ divorce, which was “rubbish”), she found her twenties hard. “I think you find out more about yourself [at that age]”, she muses. “And maybe you don’t like everything you find. But now I have a beautiful family, and I feel like my career is getting better and better. I feel very, very lucky”.

Maybe Ware’s current golden form is a result of natural evolution and personal growth, but I feel there is more than that. Credit must be given to Jessie Ware herself, who has made some big decisions, and really allowed herself more freedom from her early days. I am not suggesting her first few albums lacked a certain magic, but the true Jessie Ware can be heard across What’s Your Pleasure? It is an album that clicks from the opening track, and it never relents.

I want to bring in an interview Ware conducted with the BBC earlier this month, as it sort of underlines and emphasises what I was just saying. In the interview, Ware reveals how things have altered and improved in terms of her sound and approach to music:

"For so long I was so scared and nervous," she says. "Like on the first album, I dressed up to hide myself. I'd have my hair done and my power suit, and it was all about trying to make me feel more confident.

"I even hid my 'big voice' on the first record because I didn't particularly want to show it off. But then I worked with [producer] Benny Blanco who was like, 'You've got a voice, sing out a bit more,' so I did a song like Say You Love Me.

"This time I'm going back to this hushed voice - but it's so much more controlled and decisive. And now, playing dress-up is just for sheer fun, because I guess I'm not so nervous anymore.

It was the podcast that allowed her to be herself. It might even have forced her hand. After all, it's difficult to convey a sense of mystique when you've been publicly berated by your mum for not showering.

"I don't feel like I need to prove anything any more," says Ware. "I feel very comfortable and confident".

This sort of brings us up to date and at the glistening feet of What’s Your Pleasure? As the album has been out a couple of days, it has scooped a lot of reviews. I have not seen anything below a four-star review, which suggests universal acclaim! I do wonder whether the album has been submitted for consideration for this year’s Mercury Prize, as I think What’s Your Pleasure? is in with a real shout of winning. I think the combination of uplifting vibes, big songs and a real blend in terms of emotions and subject matter means What’s Your Pleasure? reaches a wide audience and, whether you need to feel roused and energised or require a tender moment, you have options!

One of the great things about Jessie Ware is that she can deliver these very distinct and personal albums whilst moving into new sonic space. One cannot easily compare What’s Your Pleasure? with Devotion, for instance. The most noticeable change from the debut to now is the size of the sound. On her latest album, Ware sounds bigger and more alive than before; exploring Disco and some sounds of the 1980s to create this very spirited and sumptuous listen. She spoke with The Cut recently, and she was asked about this change of pace:

“I’m a fan of your music, and this is so much more disco dancy than the others. Why did you go in that direction?

I think it was a reaction to doing an incredibly autobiographical record last time. I started out in dance music, that’s where I got my voice heard. It was a return to that. I think I really needed it. I really wanted to do the live capacity as well, so then there’s the irony that I’m probably never going to be able to tour this record. But I wanted that element of the tempo, and I felt like my fans really would enjoy that. It seemed like it would be really fun to be able to provide them with something that wasn’t a ballad.

What musical inspirations were in your mind for the album?

It was everyone from Minnie Riperton to Mary Jane Girls, Louis Taylor, Lisa Stansfield, we went everywhere. When James Ford [musician and producer] and I were making the record, I was like, What about this tune? We do a lot of back-and-forth, playing groove tunes and disco tunes. I learned a lot, and he introduced me to a lot. With “What’s Your Pleasure,” the title track, when we were writing it, I could imagine Kylie Minogue singing this, and then it’s got a bit of Blondie in there, too. There’s so much going on. It felt limitless”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Adam Golder

I am fascinated examining changes between albums and what enforces an artist’s palette and mindset, and what reasons lie behind change. I will drop in a few more interview bits through this review, as it is important to hear from Jessie Ware (and me) to get a fuller impression of What’s Your Pleasure? It is primed to be one of this year’s best-reviewed albums. Whilst Ware’s new album has plenty of herself in it, I do not think it is as confessional and personal as previous albums. Ware spoke with Complex and she touched upon that:

“Does What’s Your Pleasure? communicate anything personal about you, or did you want to create more of an atmosphere with the music?

I think there is a way of expressing yourself that doesn’t have to be incredibly autobiographical. There is confidence in this music, and the coherency of this music when you hear it says a lot about me as an artist, telling a story about my day-to-day life. My last record was all about me being a new mother, the struggles in relationships, and this time I didn’t need to do that again. There are some autobiographical songs, and this album does talk about my development as to where I am at as an artist... I am a celebration of my new self-confidence, and that’s exciting. I have never really felt that confident, but now I feel like I have possibly made my best record and everything is alright. I’m going to start enjoying it properly. I didn’t care if I made my best record when I started; pieces fell together, and I was happy. In two years, we wrote so many songs, it was hard to edit the album down. At the moment, I’m feeling like this is my best record, but I didn’t set out to achieve that. I just wanted to make music that felt good to dance to”.

It is no shock What’s Your Pleasure? resonates at this time, as there is a sense of escapism, fun and energy that we all need. More than that, the album does make you think and reflect in addition to feeling lifted and motivated. The songs are so effective and instant, but they stand up to repeated listens!

It is a summation for Ware, and one that I think she will build from; keep moving and progressing as an artist with a lot more years in front of her. I feel a lot of modern music has a dour and depressed façade, so it is always nice to embrace artists that want to sprinkle in something with optimism and sunshine! Artists such as Dua Lipa and Róisín Murphy are particularly good at creating songs that raise the temperature and put a smile on the face. The last interview I want to quote from in this section is with The Independent – one that I dropped in a bit earlier on in the review. The nature of What’s Your Pleasure? was commented upon:

“On What’s Your Pleasure?, she sounds like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. It’s one for kitchen discos, a socially distanced garden bop, a Zoom vogue-off. Its songs echo the grown-up, slick synth-pop of Robyn and Róisín Murphy; sleek disco numbers with a touch of dusty soul, a frisson of refined cheese, a nod to Bananarama, echoes of Andy Warhol’s Polaroids of downtown New York and a Nineties hairstyle that led one fan to tweet “My sexuality is @JessieWare’s slicked back high-pony”. Whereas once the music industry didn’t know what to do with pop music made by anyone over 30, now Ware’s appeal is broad: her music is rated by Pitchfork as easily as it is played on Radio 1 or Radio 2.

Ware has said that she wanted this record to make “people want to dance, flirt and have sex” and some critics have drawn a line between its club-readiness and the dancefloor focus of her first album, 2012’s Devotion. Was that something she had in mind? Doing “so many f***ing interviews feels like therapy”, she says, adopting a voice to suggest she’s mock-psychoanalysing herself. “Maybe, subconsciously, I enjoyed the feeling of anticipation and excitement that I got when I first entered into doing music and being a featured vocalist so much that I subconsciously wanted to go back to that naivety, when things were less pressured”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Samantha Casolari

Soul Control is a brilliant track, and one that sort of defines and encapsulates everything that makes What’s Your Pleasure? such a rewarding and memorable listen. Five singles have already been released from What’s Your Pleasure?, but I wonder whether Soul Control will be the sixth – or whether enough has come out of the album, and it would seem like overkill. Regardless, I do think Soul Control is a natural standout. Soul Control spares no time in getting under the skin. The introduction is a cocktail of bubbling synth notes that has this lightness that trips and dizzies. It is a fast and joyful noise that gets the feet moving and the energy flowing. In terms of time period, there is no doubt that the Disco of the 1970s and the Pop of the 1980s plays a role. One can almost imagine Soul Control being spun in a Disco joint back in the day, or appearing on Madonna’s debut album! I do feel introduction are crucial in hooking the listener and setting the scene, and Soul Control is a masterclass in making an instant impact! Ware’s vocal enters, and there is a welcomes cool and soothe to it. I think if her vocal was too charged and hot, it might overload the senses or throw too much energy in there. As it is, we get this blend of the colourful composition and a more restrained vocal – for now at least! It is clear that Ware is under a very seductive and heady spell: “Can't take my eyes off of you tonight/You're moving like a waterfall/Rush into my life, stay a little while/'Cause I know that we could have it all”. Ware’s voice becomes more elastic, widened and accelerated as the pre-chorus comes in, and there is a further gear shift for the chorus itself. Soul Control is a song that builds and builds, and you can feel a palpable increase in energy, whilst this wonderful story is being played out. Backed by some bubbling notes and an excellent score, Ware take the listener by the hand.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rex Features

I really like the chorus, as it has a great hook, and Ware sound completely committed. The lyrics are simple, but it makes me wonder what the ‘soul control’ refers to: “Soul control, that's how you want it/Soul control, that's how I give it to you/Soul control, that's how you want it/Soul control, that's how I give it to you”. One can see those lyrics as a seductive call, but there might be something deeper at play. I was hooked by the emotion and passion coming from Ware’s voice; the way Ware trips the vocals and gives the words so much movement. In way, there are comparisons to Róisín Murphy regarding delivery and vocal intonations, yet Ware very much has her style and skin – though the two artists are friends, and it is great that we have these two very strong and wonderful artists that can deliver these huge Disco-themed songs. It is obvious that there is a palpable electricity between Ware and her man - “Baby, it's automatic/We touch and it feels like magic” -, and there is a mutual attraction. One of the best things about Soul Control is how the lyrics are simple-yet-relatable. In many ways, Soul Control could have come from the 1970s in terms of the story told, but one knows every word means something real for Ware. “You can't take your eyes off of me tonight/Tell me what you came here for” is Ware beckoning and moving; one can feel the heat building in the room as the electronics bubble, swoon, and buzz. Ware’s voice is layered, and you get this great blend of cool-and-soothing and more syncopated lines. I think music is at its strongest when it can connect with every listener and has a positive flair. That is just my opinion, but I instantly gravitate to music that is alive and makes you want to move. Ware never relents in her desire to find satisfaction and surrender to the heat of the moment. By the time the bridge arrives, I think Ware is at her most determined and awed: “And I wanna give you all my love/I'm addicted to these nights”. Like most songs on What’s Your Pleasure?, it is hard to find any fault with Soul Control. It keeps moving and shaking from first to last, and there is an infectiousness from Ware that is hard to refute. The song could rank alongside the Disco classics, but it has a modern aesthetic and personal relevance that means it is not just a throwback. One will wan to spin Soul Control over and over, as it definitely elevates the mood, and you will find yourself dancing and singing along!

I am not sure what the rest of 2020 holds in store for Jessie Ware. She will be keen to do gigs and get out and see people, but so much has been placed on hold until next year. It is a shame, but there is not a lot that can be done! Like some artists, Ware could have held her album back until later in the year but, as we are all in need of some respite and relief, she was compelled to put What’s Your Pleasure? into the world. When she spoke with Her about the album, Ware discussed the reason for putting it out in June:

“Jessie says her label were open to postponing the release of her new record until after the pandemic, but she didn't want to hold on - for that reason alone.

"Disco dance groove, that's what I've been really wanting to listen to in this time," she says.

"So why would I not put out a record that was ready? It was a no brainer. I think everyone is discussing music in a different way during lockdown. I definitely am."

Like the rest of us, Jessie has taken some of her time in lockdown to up-skill. She started with sourdough (which she is "killing"), and has since moved onto styling her daughter's hair.

"I'm working on the French plait," she says. "That's kind of my lockdown thing now".

Go and buy the album if you can – there is a link at the top of the review -, or stream if not. What’s Your Pleasure? is one of 2020’s best releases, and it is one that we all need right now! The songs are brilliantly alive and fulsome; one listens to them, and they cannot help but be moved and affected. It is a stunning thing, and I wonder where Ware goes from here. Of course, there will be more albums, and I wonder whether she will change her sound or stick with a Dance/Disco template. It is intriguing to speculate. I shall leave things there, but I was very keen to review Soul Control, as it is my favourite track from an album packed with jams and gems! Go out and get What’s Your Pleasure? as it is an album that is guaranteed…