Tough Love

Photographer: Annemarieke Van Drimmelen.
None of the singles from Devotion, Jessie Ware's debut, cracked the U.K. Top 40, but the album peaked at number five and was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize. Nominations for several MOBO and BRIT awards further substantiated the singer and songwriter's breakout status. By the time follow-up Tough Love was released in 2014, the album had already placed two singles in the Top 40. Both were produced by BenZel, the teenaged duo of Umi Takahashi and Yoko Watanabe. Lead single "Tough Love" wasn't far from the singer and songwriter's previous ballads, sumptuous with some aching falsetto lines, as well as drum sounds filched from "Little Red Corvette" as effectively as anything produced by the-Dream and Los da Mystro. "Say You Love Me," the second one, was her biggest hit at that point, written with Ed Sheeran. The album has the same high level of sophistication as Devotion. Somewhat surprisingly, Dave Okumu, who played a major role in Devotion, has a hand in only two songs, both of which function as high-quality album tracks that are more about mood than anything else. "Sweetest Song," delicate like meringue with sighing synthesizers and light guitar prickles, pleases much more than the other. There are three additional BenZel collaborations. Surprisingly, the one not written with Miguel, "Champagne Kisses," is the best of the bunch. Ware continues to express a multitude of emotions with superb elegance. ~ Andy Kellman