Jessie Ware: "Wildest Moments"

Shimmering South Londonder Jessie Ware is tipped for big things this fall: her debut album Devotion balances Sade’s coffee table stories with driving electronic production. Having built up indie points by lending vocals to SBTRKT and turning heads when she appeared on the BBC Wimbledon highlights, Ware comes in on a wave of hype, perfectly poised to to dethrone Florence & the Machine with all the tactical ferocity of Mr. T in Rocky III. It helps that she’s also close pals with Adele—very high currency in the fight for Facebook followers.

Judged on its own merit, Devotion delivers, and reaches an emotional peak on “Wildest Moments,” a tragic/bitter lifeline Ware throws to her man as they finish another violent argument. Mixing sparkling strings around a slow, baggy beat, Ware breathes “You and I / Bloodline / We come together every time,” suggesting a fetish side to their confrontations. In her opinion the relationship works best when passions are high—either in the bedroom or in the kitchen while throwing cutlery at each other—and the song is a beautiful plea before a break-up, thanks more to its atmospheric keyboards than Ware’s uneasy narrative. Essential for fans of cinematic domestic violence, “Wildest Moments” should be brought to John Woo if he ever wants to shoot a couple in a restaurant.