"Wildest Moments," by Jessie Ware

Howdy, folks! I have returned from a blogging hiatus. Yes, yes, I'm sorry - it was very impolite of me to duck out and leave you with no knowledge of iTunes' exciting free singles. In my defense, I had Spring Break, followed shortly thereafter by my 21st birthday. And the days thereafter went something like this:

But I'm back and rip-roaring to do some obligatory bliggity-blogging. Now, ofttimes when I write these reviews, you'll hear me complain about the mix of a song. Whether it's a harmony that can scarcely be heard, an electric guitar line that's oppressively loud, or there isn't enough bass on the track there are an infinite number of ways to mix a track poorly. Fortunately, this week's track, "Wildest Moments" by Jessie Ware, has heralded my return to the blogosphere with a near perfect mix.

Jessie Ware is a south London singer-songwriter, who made her name by doing vocals for other big-name UK artists. Her debut solo album, Devotion, was released in 2012, but is coming stateside for the first time this week. iTunes calls Devotion a pop album, but its tracks feature a melting pot of musical influences - rock, R&B, soul, electronic and trance. They use the pop label as a simplifying term here, but it's wrong. It's on par with assuming that all people of Hispanic heritage are Mexicans (something that happens far too often in my home state of Texas) - it's not an appropriate label and does a huge injustice to the subject.


In this instance, Jessie Ware shouldn't be called a pop artist. She won't be coating you with musical sugar using hooks that you can't get out of your head, silly upbeat rhythms and repetitive lyrics. Instead Devotion's tracks seduce you with thick electronic sounds, beautiful R&B chords and a sultry English voice that's reminiscent of Adele's singing style. The single of the week, "Wildest Moments," is a fair example of what you can expect from the rest of the album.