What's Your Pleasure?

What's Your Pleasure?
Standard edition cover. The Platinum Pleasure edition uses a silver tint.
Studio album by
Jessie Ware
Released26 June 2020 (2020-06-26)
Recorded2018–2020[1]
Studio
Genre
Length53:19
Label
Producer
Jessie Ware chronology
Glasshouse
(2017) 		What's Your Pleasure?
(2020) 		That! Feels Good!
(2023)
Singles from What's Your Pleasure?
  1. "Adore You"
    Released: 13 February 2019
  2. "Mirage (Don't Stop)"
    Released: 5 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
  7. "Remember Where You Are"
    Released: 5 February 2021
Singles from What's Your Pleasure?: The Platinum Pleasure Edition
  1. "Overtime"
    Released: 3 October 2018
  2. "Please"
    Released: 28 April 2021
  3. "Hot n Heavy"
    Released: 4 June 2021

What's Your Pleasure? is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware, released on 26 June 2020 by PMR Records and Virgin EMI Records. Ware and co-producer James Ford co-wrote all tracks, along with writers and producers Benji B, Joseph Mount, Kindness, Morgan Geist, Matthew Tavares and Midland.

The album received widespread critical acclaim. It was also a commercial success, 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. In April 2021, What's Your Pleasure? was nominated for Album of the Year at the Brit Awards. A reissue subtitled The Platinum Pleasure Edition, was released on 11 June 2021 and preceded by the singles "Please" and "Hot n Heavy".

Background

[edit]

After the promotional cycle for her previous album Glasshouse, Ware felt pressured to quit music due to low 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."[2] With the podcast, Ware discusses more personal topics that she felt forced to publicise with her music.

Upon the announcement of the release of the album in February 2020, Ware described the album as a "two-year labour of love", further citing the album as her visions of "escapism [and] groove". The twelve tracks on What's Your Pleasure? move away from her usual "melancholy" sound in her previous releases, to focus on disco, hi-NRG, and house. With Ford co-producing the album, Ware intended to pay homage to what the duo called "wedding jams", along with the soul of late American singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton, and the New York underground disco scene.[3]

Release

[edit]

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.[5][6] Ware then announced that she would be pushing the release date back another week so as not to conflict with Juneteenth.[7] The album was released on 26 June 2020, making it her first major release since Glasshouse (2017), and subsequently her first release after giving birth to her second child. Music videos were released for the title track, "Soul Control", "Step into My Life", "In Your Eyes", and "The Kill".

The cover art for the record sees Ware sport red lipstick, a black shirt and a golden necklace, with Pitchfork calling it a "spitting image" of Polaroids taken by American artist Andy Warhol of former actress Bianca Jagger.[8]

On 8 January 2021, Ware confirmed the forthcoming release of a deluxe edition of the album on Twitter.[9] Just before the album's release, Ware announced that she would embark on the What's Your Pleasure? Tour, starting in April 2021.[10] Ware promoted the album through virtual performances, aired by several television programmes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What's Your Pleasure? features elements of disco,[11][12] post-disco,[11][13][14] funk,[15][16] Italo disco,[17] hi-NRG,[18] rave,[18] deep house,[13] acid house,[13] electro,[19] new wave,[20] trip hop,[18] R&B,[12][13] gospel,[13] chamber folk,[21] dream pop and soul.[12]

On 11 June 2021, a reissue subtitled The Platinum Pleasure Edition was released, with an original cover art in greyscale with a metallic silver background. The lead single from this edition, "Please", was released on 28 April 2021.[22]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[23]
Metacritic84/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
The Daily Telegraph[25]
The Guardian[14]
The Independent[16]
The Irish Times[26]
NME[15]
The Observer[27]
Pitchfork8.3/10[17]
Rolling Stone[11]
The Times[28]

What's Your Pleasure? received widespread critical acclaim. It was praised for its "disco-inspired" sound and cited as the singer's "finest" work. Ware earned praise for "going back to where she started" and for sounding "bolder, looser" compared to her previous releases. 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 18 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[24] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave What's Your Pleasure? 8.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[23]

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.[14] 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."[15] Owen Myers of Pitchfork complimented the album's 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."[17]

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.[14] 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 Magazine's list of the best albums of 2020 so far.[29]

Accolades

[edit]
Accolades for What's Your Pleasure?
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Beats Per Minute BPM's Top 50 Best Albums of 2020
28
[30]
Billboard The Top 10 Best Dance Albums of 2020: Staff Picks
1
[31]
Clash Albums of the Year 2020
9
[32]
Exclaim! 50 Best Albums of 2020
28
[33]
Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020
12
[34]
Gorilla vs. Bear Albums of 2020
27
[35]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2020
14
[36]
Idolator The 70 Best Pop Albums of 2020
7
[37]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked
35
[38]
musicOMH Top 50 Albums of 2020
9
[39]
The Needle Drop The 50 Best Albums of 2020
1
[40]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2020
39
[41]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
9
[42]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Albums of 2020
9
[43]
The Skinny Top 10 Albums of 2020
8
[44]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2020
3
[45]
Slate The Best Albums of 2020
3
[46]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2020
26
[47]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2020
5
[48]
USA Today The 10 best albums of 2020, ranked
3
[49]

Commercial performance

[edit]

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.[50] 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 number five peak and number twenty-six peak achieved by her debut album, Devotion (2012).[51] 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. It was also her first release to spend more than one week within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart, as it reached number seven upon its Platinum Pleasure re-release on 11 June 2021, nearly one year after its original release.

Track listing

[edit]
Standard edition[52]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Spotlight"
Ford5:31
2."What's Your Pleasure?"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Kuyimba
  • Parker
Ford4:38
3."Ooh La La"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Kuyimba
  • Parker
Ford3:48
4."Soul Control"
  • Ford
  • Geist
3:59
5."Save a Kiss"
  • Ware
  • Ford
  • Kuyimba
  • 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
  • Kuyimba
  • Parker
Ford5:34
Total length:53:19
The Platinum Pleasure Edition (disc two)[53][54][55][56]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Please"
  • Ware
  • Kuyimba
  • Parker
  • Ford
Ford4:32
2."Impossible"
  • Ware
  • Coffee
  • Ford
Ford3:42
3."Eyes Closed"
  • Ware
  • Kuyimba
  • Parker
  • Ford
Ford4:26
4."Overtime"
4:39
5."Hot n Heavy"
SG Lewis3:35
6."Pale Blue Light"
  • Ware
  • Kuyimba
  • Parker
  • Ford
Ford4:44
7."0208" (featuring Kindness)
  • Ware
  • Bainbridge
Kindness4:03
8."Adore You" (Endless Remix) (with Bibi Zhou and Sihan)
  • Ware
  • Mount
  • Mount
  • Endless[a]
3:44
Total length:33:25

Notes

[edit]
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • The song "Mirage (Don't Stop)" contains elements of the song "Cruel Summer" performed by Bananarama.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of What's Your Pleasure?[57]

Musicians

[edit]
  • Jessie Ware – vocals
  • James Ford – keyboards, percussion, programming (tracks 1–5, 7, 9–12); synths (tracks 1–5, 7, 9, 11, 12); guitar, bass, drums (tracks 5, 7, 9, 11, 12)
  • Dave Okumu – guitar (tracks 1–4, 8)
  • Leo Taylor – drums (tracks 1–4, 8)
  • Shungudzo – backing vocals (tracks 1–4, 12)
  • Danny Parker – backing vocals (tracks 1–4, 12)
  • Bim Amoako – backing vocals (tracks 1–4, 7–9, 11, 12)
  • Senab Adekunle – backing vocals (tracks 1–4, 7–9, 11, 12)
  • Morgan Geist – programming (track 4)
  • Midland – synths, programming (track 5)
  • Joseph Mount – keyboards, programming (track 6)
  • Dante Hemingway – string and brass arrangements, programming (tracks 1-4, 6, 12)
  • Adam Bainbridge – keyboards, programming (track 8)
  • Clarence Coffee Jr. – backing vocals (tracks 10, 11)
  • Jules Buckley – string and brass arrangements, conducting
  • Tom Pigott-Smith (leader), Lizzie Ball, Marianne Haynes, Laura Melhuish, Kate Robinson, Charlie Brown, Nicky Sweeney, Jeremy Isaac, Hannah Dawson, Oli Langford – violins
  • Vicci Wardman, Helen Kamminga, Reiad Chibah – violas
  • Ian Burdge, Chris Worsey, Katherine Jenkinson – cellos
  • Richard Pryce – double bass
  • Richard Watkins, Nigel Black – French horns
  • Tom Walsh, Louis Dowdeswell, Andy Wood – trumpets, flugelhorns
  • Callum Au – tenor trombone
  • Dave Stewart – bass trombone

Technical

[edit]
  • James Ford – mixing (all tracks), recording (tracks 1–5, 7–12)
  • Joseph Mount – recording (track 6)
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering
  • Billy Foster – engineering assistance
  • Matt Jaggar – engineering assistance
  • Lewis Jones – string and brass recording
  • George Oulton – engineering assistance

Artwork

[edit]
  • Mat Maitland – creative direction
  • Dan Sanders – commission, creative
  • Rory Dewar – artwork
  • Carlijn Jacobs – photography
  • Suzanne Beirne – set design

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for What's Your Pleasure?
Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[58] 36
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[59] 136
Irish Albums (OCC)[60] 28
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[61] 17
Spain Albums Top 100 (PROMUSICAE)[62] 29
Scottish Albums (OCC)[63] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[64] 66
UK Albums (OCC)[65] 3
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[66] 34

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for What's Your Pleasure?
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for What's Your Pleasure?
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various 26 June 2020
Standard
[52][68]
11 June 2021
  • LP
  • CD
  • cassette
  • digital download
  • streaming
 Platinum Pleasure edition
[53][69]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Guitars and drums on tracks 1–4 and 8
  2. ^ Backing vocals on tracks 1–4, 7–9, 11 and 12
  3. ^ Strings and brass

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Thiessen, Brock (27 February 2020). "Jessie Ware Returns with New Album 'What's Your Pleasure?'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. ^ Hutchinson, Kate (22 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: 'We are living a dystopian nightmare'". The Independent. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  3. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (2 June 2020). "How Jessie Ware Cooked Her Way Into a Musical Fantasy". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  4. ^ Moreland, Quinn (28 February 2020). "Jessie Ware Announces New Album, Shares New Song "Spotlight": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  5. ^ Moore, Sam (28 February 2020). "Listen to Jessie Ware's 'Spotlight' from new album 'What's Your Pleasure?'". NME. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  6. ^ Schatz, Lake (24 April 2020). "Jessie Ware Enchants with New Single "Oh La La": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure?". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  9. ^ Ware, Jessie [@JessieWare] (8 January 2021). "Just so you all know. There's gonna be a deluxe. I have listened to your calls (demands ;)) and I'm trying to get this shit together as quick as possible for you. I got you XXX" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Jessie Ware announces 2021 UK tour". NME. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  11. ^ a b c Spanos, Brittany (2 July 2020). "Jessie Ware Creates a Private Disco Paradise on 'What's Your Pleasure?'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Wright, Jonathan (1 July 2020). "Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure? (PMR)". God Is in the TV Zine. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e Smith, Nick (26 June 2020). "Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?". musicOMH. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d Snapes, Laura (4 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – dancefloor diva back where she belongs". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  15. ^ a b c Mylrea, Hannah (25 June 2020). "Jessie Ware – 'What's Your Pleasure?' review: future-facing production and heady '80s sounds". NME. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  16. ^ a b 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.
  17. ^ a b c Myers, Owen (29 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  18. ^ a b c Cole, Jake (7 July 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure?". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  19. ^ Emery, Jordan (22 June 2020). "Album Review: Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?". Gigwise. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  20. ^ Inscoe-Jones, Liam (30 June 2020). "Jessie Ware turns fully liberated disco superstar on album four". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  21. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "What's Your Pleasure? – Jessie Ware". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  22. ^ White, Jack (27 April 2021). "Jessie Ware announces What's Your Pleasure? deluxe edition Platinum Pleasure and new single Please". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  23. ^ a b "What's Your Pleasure? by Jessie Ware reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  24. ^ a b "What's Your Pleasure? by Jessie Ware Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Joshi, Tara (28 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review – rooted in lustful disco". The Observer. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  28. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (26 June 2020). "Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? review — smooth and glamorous escapism". The Times. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  29. ^ "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Slant Magazine. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  30. ^ "BPM's Top 50 best albums of 2020". Beats Per Minute. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  31. ^ "The Top 10 Best Dance Albums of 2020: staff picks". Billboard. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Clash Albums Of The Year 2020". Clash. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  33. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2020". Exclaim!. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  34. ^ "51 Best Albums of 2020". Gigwise. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  35. ^ "Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2020". Gorilla vs. Bear. December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  36. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2020: the full list". The Guardian. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  37. ^ "The 70 Best Pop Albums of 2020". Idolator. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  38. ^ "The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  39. ^ Hubbard, Michael (16 December 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". musicOMH. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  40. ^ "The Needle Drop's 50 Best Albums of 2020". Album of the Year. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  41. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Paste. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  42. ^ King, Jason (8 December 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  43. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Rolling Stone. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  44. ^ "Favourite Albums of 2020". The Skinny. 30 November 2020. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  45. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Slant Magazine. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  46. ^ "The Best Albums of 2020". Slate. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  47. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Stereogum. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  48. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  49. ^ "The 10 best album of 2020, ranked". USA Today. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  50. ^ "Haim leading the race for this week's Number 1 album". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  51. ^ "Haim debut at Number 1 with Women in Music Pt. The album has since re-charted in the UK top 10 twice, once at number 9 and The Platinum Pleasure edition of the record reached number 7. III". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  52. ^ a b "What's Your Pleasure? by Jessie Ware". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  53. ^ a b "What's Your Pleasure? (The Platinum Pleasure Edition) by Jessie Ware". Apple Music. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  54. ^ "Credits / Please (Single Edit) / Jessie Ware". Tidal. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  55. ^ "Credits / Overtime / Jessie Ware". Tidal. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  56. ^ "Credits / Adore You (Endless Remix) / Jessie Ware". Tidal. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  57. ^ Jessie Ware (2020). What's Your Pleasure? (liner notes). Virgin EMI Records. CDV 3245.
  58. ^ "Ultratop.be – Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  59. ^ "Ultratop.be – Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  60. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  61. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  62. ^ "WHATS YOUR PLEASURE? Jessie Ware". El portal de la música. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  63. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  64. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  65. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  66. ^ "Jessie Ware Chart History: Top Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  67. ^ "British album certifications – Jessie Ware – What's Your Pleasure". British Phonographic Industry. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  68. ^ Physical releases for What's Your Pleasure?:
  69. ^ Physical releases for What's Your Pleasure? (Platinum Pleasure Edition):
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