Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?

The Guardian 80

(Virgin)
The singer-songwriter swaps luxe pop for the energy of the dancefloor on her heady fourth album

Jessie Ware emerged in 2010, lending her silken vocals to electro producer SBTRKT. A solo career followed but, while the London singer-songwriter’s first three albums contained garage inflections, the focus was on luxe pop. In the years since her last set, 2017’s Glasshouse, she has had her second child and started a food podcast with her mum – but album number four doesn’t champion domesticity. Featuring credits from the likes of Metronomy’s Joe Mount and producer/songwriter Kindness, What’s Your Pleasure is full of dancefloor energy instead, with careening strings, uplifting percussion and spiky licks of synth and guitar. Mirage (Don’t Stop) is slinky and seductive (“I know I said it before, but you can do what you want”, Ware croons over sleek bass), while the title track and the glorious Ooh La La bask in the glow of a fun night out. Heady and rooted in lustful disco, this album proves that the singer is a cornerstone of contemporary pop.