What's Your Pleasure?

What's Your Pleasure? is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. Featuring twelve tracks that focus mostly in various electronic and dance music genres, such as disco, hi-NRG, and house, Ware described the album as a "two-year labour of love" upon her release announcement in February 2020, further citing the album as her visions of "escapism [and] groove", wanting to move away from her usual "melancholy" sound in her previous releases. With Ware and fellow English musician James Ford co-writing (the latter whom also co-producing) all twelve tracks, the duo eventually enlisted writers and producers such as Benji B, Joseph Mount, Kindness, Morgan Geist, Matthew Tavares, and Midland to pay homage to what the duo called "wedding jams", along with the soul of late American singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton, and "weirdo New York City boogie/underground disco".[6] Originally scheduled to be released on 5 June 2020, the album was instead released on 26 June 2020 by PMR Records, Interscope and Virgin EMI, making it her first major release in nearly three years since Glasshouse (2017), and subsequently her first release after giving birth to her second child.

What's Your Pleasure?
Studio album by
Jessie Ware
Released26 June 2020 (2020-06-26)
Recorded2018–2020[1]
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London, England[2]
GenrePost-disco[3]
Length53:19
Label
Producer
Jessie Ware chronology
Glasshouse
(2017)		 What's Your Pleasure?
(2020)
Singles from What's Your Pleasure?
  1. "Adore You"
    Released: 13 February 2019
  2. "Mirage (Don't Stop)"
    Released: 6 November 2019
  3. "Spotlight"
    Released: 28 February 2020
  4. "Ooh La La"
    Released: 24 April 2020
  5. "Save a Kiss"
    Released: 7 May 2020
  6. "What's Your Pleasure?"
    Released: 24 July 2020

Upon its release, What's Your Pleasure? was universally acclaimed by music critics, praising Ware for "going back to where she started" and the album's "disco-inspired" sound, further citing the album as her "finest" record and Ware sounding "bolder, looser" comparing to her previous releases. It was also a commercial success for the singer in her native country, earning Ware her first top-three entry and to date, her highest peak position on both the UK Albums Chart and Scottish Albums Chart. Five singles have been released to promote the album, with Ware promoted the songs heavily through at-home performances and aired by several television programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the singer would embark on her UK eponymous headline tour, starting in April 2021.[7] Music videos were also released for the title track, "Soul Control", "Step Into My Life", "In Your Eyes", and "The Kill".

Background

After the promotional cycle for her previous album Glasshouse, Ware felt pressured to quit music due to poor album sales and her exhaustion with touring. However, Ware's podcast Table Manners gained a larger following of 13 million listeners and soon became Ware's main priority. Speaking to The Independent, Ware described the podcast's success as a "turning point" that changed her outlook of herself: "I suddenly felt more comfortable in my skin."[8] With the podcast, Ware discusses more personal topics that she felt forced to publicise with her music. On her fourth record, she wanted a fresh start.

Release

What's Your Pleasure? was initially scheduled to be released on 5 June 2020,[4] however the date was moved to 19 June, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9][10] Ware then announced that she would be pushing the release date back another week so as not to conflict with Juneteenth.[11] The album was eventually released on 26 June.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Album of the Year84/100[12]
AnyDecentMusic?8.3/10[13]
Metacritic84/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
The Daily Telegraph[16]
The Guardian[3]
The Independent[17]
The Irish Times[18]
NME[19]
The Observer[20]
Pitchfork8.3/10[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
The Times[23]

What's Your Pleasure? was acclaimed by critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[14] Album of the Year collected 24 reviews and calculated an average of 84 out of 100.[12] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave What's Your Pleasure? 8.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[13]

Tara Joshi of The Guardian praised the upbeat nature of What's Your Pleasure? and compared it to other "grown-up disco" albums like Lady Gaga's Chromatica and Robyn's Honey.[3] NME editor Hannah Mylrea claimed the album was a return to Ware's club roots, which she had strayed away from since her debut Devotion and called it "an intoxicating cocktail of seductive beats, exhilarating choruses and sleek production."[19] Owen Myers of Pitchfork complimented the albums musical references to disco divas of the past like Donna Summer, Diana Ross, and Anita Ward and awarded it the website's Best New Music distinction. Myers remarked positively on Ware's commitment to making uplifting music while allowing "a little of her signature psychodrama to creep into the nocturnal escapades she describes, and the flecks of ennui make the highs even higher."[21] Andy Kellman of Allmusic singled out "Mirage (Don't Stop)" as a highlight, praising the Bananarama-influenced production, as well as praising the production of the album as a whole.[3] Kellman also praised the "chamber folk soul" of the album's closer "Remember Where You Are", calling it a "stirring finale"

In July 2020, What's Your Pleasure? was included on Slant's list of the best albums of 2020 so far.[24]

Chart performance

According to the Official Charts Company, What's Your Pleasure? was the most downloaded album over the weekend upon its initial release on 26 June 2020.[25] The album eventually debuted at number three on both the UK Albums Chart and Scottish Albums Chart, giving Ware her fourth consecutive top-ten entry on the former and her first top-three entry on both. By this, the album became Ware's highest peak position on both charts, surpassing the No. 5 peak and No. 26 peak achieved by her debut project Devotion (2012).[26] The album is also Ware's first top-forty entry on the Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) chart since Tough Love (2014), debuting at number thirty-six.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Apple Music metadata.[27]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Spotlight"
Ford5:31
2."What's Your Pleasure?"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Govere
  • Parker
Ford4:38
3."Ooh La La"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Govere
  • Parker
Ford3:48
4."Soul Control"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Govere
  • Parker
  • Morgan Geist
  • Ford
  • Geist
3:59
5."Save a Kiss"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Govere
  • Parker
4:02
6."Adore You"
Mount3:45
7."In Your Eyes"
  • Ware
  • Ford
Ford4:58
8."Step into My Life"
  • Ford
  • Bainbridge
3:37
9."Read My Lips"
  • Ware
  • Ford
Ford4:03
10."Mirage (Don't Stop)"
4:47
11."The Kill"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Coffee
Ford4:37
12."Remember Where You Are"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Govere
  • Parker
Ford5:34
Total length:53:19

Notes
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Charts
Chart performance for What's Your Pleasure?
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 36
Irish Albums (OCC)[29] 28
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[30] 17
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 66
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 3
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[34] 34
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References
  1. Thiessen, Brock (27 February 2020). "Jessie Ware Returns with New Album 'What's Your Pleasure?'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. Ware, Jessie (29 June 2020). "Behind The Scenes at Abbey Road Studios". instagram. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  3. Snapes, Laura (4 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – dancefloor diva back where she belongs". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  4. Moreland, Quinn (28 February 2020). "Jessie Ware Announces New Album, Shares New Song "Spotlight": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  5. Schatz, Lake (28 February 2020). "Jessie Ware Announces New Album What's Your Pleasure?, Shares "Spotlight": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  6. Zoladz, Lindsay (2 June 2020). "How Jessie Ware Cooked Her Way Into a Musical Fantasy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  7. "Jessie Ware announces 2021 UK tour". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  8. Hutchinson, Kate (22 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: 'We are living a dystopian nightmare'". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  9. Moore, Sam (28 February 2020). "Listen to Jessie Ware's 'Spotlight' from new album 'What's Your Pleasure?'". NME. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  10. Schatz, Lake (24 April 2020). "Jessie Ware Enchants with New Single "Oh La La": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  11. Skinner, Tom (10 June 2020). "Jessie Ware delays new album 'What's Your Pleasure?' so as to not "distract from black voices"". NME. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  12. "Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?". Album of the Year. United States. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  13. "What's Your Pleasure? by Jessie Ware reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  14. "What's Your Pleasure? by Jessie Ware Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  15. Kellman, Andy. "What's Your Pleasure? – Jessie Ware". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  16. McCormick, Neil (26 June 2020). "This week's best new albums: Nadine Shah, Norah Jones, Jessie Ware and more". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  17. O'Connor, Roisin (26 June 2020). "Album reviews: Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?, Nadine Shah – Kitchen Sink, and Khruangbin – Mordechai". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  18. Bruton, Louise (19 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – One of the best albums of 2020 so far". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  19. Mylrea, Hannah (25 June 2020). "Jessie Ware – 'What's Your Pleasure?' review: future-facing production and heady '80s sounds". NME. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  20. Joshi, Tara (28 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – rooted in lustful disco". The Observer. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  21. Myers, Owen (29 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  22. Spanos, Brittany (2 July 2020). "Jessie Ware Creates a Private Disco Paradise on 'What's Your Pleasure?'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  23. Hodgkinson, Will (26 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review — smooth and glamorous escapism". The Times. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  24. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Slant. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  25. "Haim leading the race for this week's Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  26. "Haim debut at Number 1 with Women in Music Pt. III". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  27. "What's Your Pleasure by Jessie Ware". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  28. "Ultratop.be – Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  29. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  30. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  31. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  32. "Swisscharts.com – Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  33. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  34. "Jessie Ware Chart History: Top Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
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