Devotion (Jessie Ware album)

Devotion
Studio album by Jessie Ware
Released 20 August 2012 (2012-08-20)
Genre
Length 43:31
Label
Producer
Jessie Ware chronology
Devotion
(2012)		 Tough Love
(2014)
Singles from Devotion
  1. "Running"
    Released: 24 February 2012
  2. "110%"
    Released: 13 April 2012
  3. "Wildest Moments"
    Released: 29 June 2012
  4. "Night Light"
    Released: 25 September 2012
  5. "Sweet Talk"
    Released: 21 January 2013
  6. "Imagine It Was Us"
    Released: 12 April 2013

Devotion is the debut studio album by English singer Jessie Ware. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 August 2012. Production for the album came primarily from Dave Okumu of alternative rock band The Invisible, alongside Julio Bashmore and Kid Harpoon.

On 15 April 2013, the album was re-released as Devotion – The Gold Edition. It includes a bonus disc with four tracks, two of which are previously unreleased, including a new single, "Imagine It Was Us". One day later, this version of the album was released in the United States under its original title.[5]

The album was recognized as one of the 100 best albums of the decade so far by Pitchfork in August 2014.[6]

Background

In the years prior to releasing her first solo album, Ware did backing vocals at live shows for Jack Peñate (who took her on tour in America) and Man Like Me. Ware said she learned a lot during her time with Jack Peñate: "Performing with him was really good training, because I got to learn all about how other people do it – I was able to perform live without the pressure of being a lead singer. It gave me a taste of what to expect, and it prepared me for what I’m doing now."[7] It was one of Peñate's bandmates, Tic, who first introduced Ware to SBTRKT; Ware and SBTRKT went on to collaborate on Nervous (2010). She consequently met Sampha, best known as SBTRKT's main collaborator and live member. They created "Valentine" together, which was released on a special edition, heart-shaped vinyl by Young Turks in 2011. "Valentine" was partly inspired by James Blake's song "The Wilhelm Scream" and based on their own personal experiences in love.[8] The music video for Valentine was directed by Marcus Söderlund.[9] "Nervous", "Valentine" and an additional collaboration with DJ Joker ("The Vision") led Ware to a record deal with PMR Records.[10] She also featured on Ceremonials, the 2011 album by Florence and the Machine in which her good friend Florence Welch is lead singer.

Singles

  • "Running" was released as the album's lead single on 24 February 2012.
  • "110%" was released as the second single on 13 April 2012.
  • "Wildest Moments" was released as the third single on 29 June 2012.
  • "Night Light" was released as the fourth single on 25 September 2012.
  • "Sweet Talk" was released as the fifth single on 21 January 2013.
  • "Imagine It Was Us", the first single from The Gold Edition of the album, was released as the sixth single overall on 12 April 2013.[11]

Other singles

  • "Strangest Feeling" was released as a single on 14 October 2011, however, it was not included on the album and can only be found on the iTunes deluxe edition.
  • "Taking in Water" was released as a promotional single on 20 August 2012 on iTunes as the free single of the week during the week of the album release.

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The A.V. ClubB+[14]
The Guardian[15]
The Irish Times[16]
NME8/10[17]
Pitchfork8.5/10[18]
Q[19]
Rolling Stone[20]
Slant Magazine[21]
Spin8/10[22]

Devotion received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 27 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[12]

Mike Diver of BBC Music wrote, "Devotion is the sort of sophisticated, soulful pop record that comes along all too rarely, a collection that never hides the heart on its sleeve. Down-tempo it may be, but no listener will come away downcast. Overlook the relatively low chart positions for Running and 110%, as they're hardly indicative of the quality on display. Ware never stretches for an out-of-reach note; she never gives her songs over to hyperbole or bombast. Throughout, there is a well-measured, well-mannered elegance that engages with more efficiency than many an artist dressing their material up as The Next Big Thing. There's nothing 'next' about Ware: she's here, now, and superb".[1]

Tim Jonze of The Guardian wrote, "Sophisticated, smooth and sensual, in the wrong hands Devotion could easily have been a footnote in the New Boring movement, that vibrant strain of youth culture that has already given us Emeli Sandé, Adele and Bruce Springsteen concerts that wrestle with the spacetime continuum itself. Yet Jessie Ware's debut album is saved by one fact: for all her album's poise and restraint, dance music clearly runs through this 27-year-old south Londoner's veins. Throughout Devotion you're never told to sit up and pay attention. Instead it quietly works its magic, a genuinely individual statement by an artist who didn't expect to become a pop star, but might struggle to stop it happening anyway – after all, the groove is in her heart".[15]

Commercial performance

Devotion debuted at number five on the UK Albums Chart, selling 9,319 copies in its first week.[23]

"110%"

In late 2012, the song titled "110%" had to be changed to "If You're Never Gonna Move" due to legal problems with the clearance of a sample of "Dream Shatterer" by Big Punisher, which was an integral part of the song (the title itself was a play on another of Big Punisher's tracks, "100%"). "If You're Never Gonna Move" contains a similar-sounding sample instead.[24]

Track listing

International version

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Devotion"
Dave Okumu3:24
2."Wildest Moments"
3:42
3."Running"
4:28
4."Still Love Me"
Dave Okumu3:56
5."No to Love"Dave OkumuDave Okumu3:33
6."Night Light"
4:13
7."Swan Song"
Dave Okumu3:43
8."Sweet Talk"
3:37
9."110%"
  • Ware
  • Bashmore
Bashmore3:27
10."Taking in Water"
  • Ware
  • Hull
4:27
11."Something Inside"
Dave Okumu3:34

US version

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Devotion"
Dave Okumu3:24
2."Wildest Moments"
Kid Harpoon3:42
3."Running"
4:28
4."Still Love Me"
Dave Okumu3:56
5."No to Love"Dave OkumuDave Okumu3:33
6."Night Light"
4:13
7."Swan Song"
Dave Okumu3:43
8."Sweet Talk"
3:37
9."If You're Never Gonna Move"
  • Ware
  • Bashmore
Bashmore3:27
10."Taking in Water"
  • Ware
  • Hull
4:27
11."Something Inside"
Dave Okumu3:34
12."Imagine It Was Us"
Bashmore3:24
13."Wildest Moments" (Remix) (featuring A$AP Rocky)
Kid Harpoon4:07

Personnel

Credits for Devotion adapted from Barnes & Noble.[26]

Performance credits

  • Jessie Ware – primary artist, vocals
  • Robin Mullarkey – cello
  • Kid Harpoon – guitar, percussion, keyboards
  • Lexxx – synthesizer bass
  • Dave Okumu – synthesizer, bass, guitar, piano, drums, keyboards, background vocals, rap, finger snapping
  • Leo Taylor – drums
  • A. K. Paul – bass, guitar
  • Robin McUllarkey – cello
  • Dornik – background vocals

Technical credits

  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering
  • Lewis Hopkin – mastering
  • Robin Mullarkey – programming, additional production
  • Kid Harpoon – composer, programming, producer, engineer
  • David Corney – composer
  • David Emery – Pro-Tools
  • Dave Okumu – composer, programming, producer, engineer, cello arrangement
  • Julio Bashmore – composer, programming, producer, engineer
  • James Napier – composer
  • Jessie Ware – composer
  • Velour – producer
  • Nigel Glasgow – engineer
  • Breyner Baptista – composer
  • Brendon Harding – engineer
  • Laura Dockrill – composer
  • Wilma Archer – composer, engineer
  • Dan Vinci – engineer
  • Rakim Mayers – composer

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Poland (ZPAV)[39] Platinum 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Gold 100,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Label Format(s) Edition
United Kingdom 20 August 2012 Standard
15 April 2013 Devotion: The Gold Edition
United States[5] 16 April 2013 North American version

References

  1. 1 2 Diver, Mike. "Review of Jessie Ware – Devotion". BBC Music. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "The Translator: Sophisti-pop". Exclaim!. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Album Of The Week: Jessie Ware Devotion". Stereogum. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Jessie Ware - Devotion: exclusive album stream | Music | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. 2012-08-16. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  5. 1 2 "The North American Release of Jessie Ware's Devotion Features Two New Songs and A$AP Rocky". Pitchfork Media. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
  6. ↑ http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9465-the-top-100-albums-of-2010-2014/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ Duncan, Alasdair. "Jessie Ware Wildest Dreams". The Brag.
  8. ↑ "Jessie Ware". Red Bull Studios London.
  9. ↑ "Jessie Ware & Sampha – Valentine – YouTube". youngturksrecords / YouTube.com. 26 November 2012.
  10. ↑ Smirke, Richard (8 December 2012). "Jessie Ware, Mercury Prize Nominee, Preps EP for U.S. Release". Billboard.
  11. ↑ "iTunes – Music – Imagine It Was Us – Single by Jessie Ware". iTunes Store. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Reviews for Devotion by Jessie Ware". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  13. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Devotion – Jessie Ware". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  14. ↑ Koski, Genevieve (4 December 2012). "Jessie Ware: Devotion". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  15. 1 2 Jonze, Tim (16 August 2012). "Jessie Ware: Devotion – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  16. ↑ Carroll, Jim (31 August 2012). "Jessie Ware: Devotion (PMR)". The Irish Times. Dublin. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  17. ↑ Wolfson, Sam (16 August 2012). "Jessie Ware – 'Devotion'". NME. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  18. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (17 August 2012). "Jessie Ware: Devotion". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  19. ↑ "Jessie Ware: Devotion". Q (314): 113. September 2012.
  20. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (21 September 2012). "Devotion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  21. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (17 August 2012). "Jessie Ware: Devotion". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  22. ↑ Bevan, David (7 September 2012). "Jessie Ware, 'Devotion' (PMR)". Spin. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  23. ↑ Jones, Alan (27 August 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Sam & The Womp top 100k sales to hit No.1". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  24. ↑ "Jessie Ware Says "Fuck Big Pun" Over "110%" Sample Clearance Fight". Pitchfork Media. 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
  25. ↑ "Beggars Music". Beggars Music. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  26. ↑ "Devotion by Interscope Records, Jessie Ware - Barnes & Noble". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "Jessie Ware – Devotion" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  28. ↑ "Jessie Ware – Devotion" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  29. ↑ "Top Kombiniranih – Tjedan 13. 2013" (in Croatian). Hrvatska Diskografska Udruga. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  30. ↑ "Jessie Ware – Devotion". danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  31. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 23 August 2012". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  32. ↑ "Jessie Ware – Devotion". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  33. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży". OLiS. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  34. ↑ "2012 Top 40 Scottish Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  35. ↑ "Jessie Ware – Devotion". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  36. ↑ "2012 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  37. ↑ "Jessie Ware – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
  38. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2012" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  39. ↑ "Polish album certifications – Jessie Ware – Devotion" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  40. ↑ "British album certifications – Jessie Ware – Devotion". British Phonographic Industry. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Devotion in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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