Tough Love *

Rating

Album: Tough Love *
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Tough Love	More Info...	0:03
2)	You & I (Forever)	More Info...	0:04
3)	Cruel	More Info...	0:04
4)	Say You Love Me	More Info...	0:04
5)	Sweetest Song	More Info...	0:03
6)	Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe	More Info...	0:03
7)	Want Your Feeling	More Info...	0:04
8)	Pieces	More Info...	0:03
9)	Keep On Lying	More Info...	0:03
10)	Champagne Kisses	More Info...	0:03
11)	Desire	More Info...	0:03

Album: Tough Love *
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Tough Love	More Info...	0:03
2)	You & I (Forever)	More Info...	0:04
3)	Cruel	More Info...	0:04
4)	Say You Love Me	More Info...	0:04
5)	Sweetest Song	More Info...	0:03
6)	Kind Of...Sometimes...Maybe	More Info...	0:03
7)	Want Your Feeling	More Info...	0:04
8)	Pieces	More Info...	0:03
9)	Keep On Lying	More Info...	0:03
10)	Champagne Kisses	More Info...	0:03
11)	Desire	More Info...	0:03

Performer Notes

Photographer: Annemarieke Van Drimmelen.
None of the singles from Devotion, Jessie Ware's debut, cracked the U.K. Top 40, but the album peaked at number five and was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize. Nominations for several MOBO and BRIT awards further substantiated the singer and songwriter's breakout status. By the time follow-up Tough Love was released in 2014, the album had already placed two singles in the Top 40. Both were produced by BenZel, the teenaged duo of Umi Takahashi and Yoko Watanabe. Lead single "Tough Love" wasn't far from the singer and songwriter's previous ballads, sumptuous with some aching falsetto lines, as well as drum sounds filched from "Little Red Corvette" as effectively as anything produced by the-Dream and Los da Mystro. "Say You Love Me," the second one, was her biggest hit at that point, written with Ed Sheeran. The album has the same high level of sophistication as Devotion. Somewhat surprisingly, Dave Okumu, who played a major role in Devotion, has a hand in only two songs, both of which function as high-quality album tracks that are more about mood than anything else. "Sweetest Song," delicate like meringue with sighing synthesizers and light guitar prickles, pleases much more than the other. There are three additional BenZel collaborations. Surprisingly, the one not written with Miguel, "Champagne Kisses," is the best of the bunch. Ware continues to express a multitude of emotions with superb elegance. ~ Andy Kellman

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[F]or all its vulnerability, TOUGH LOVE is tenacious, too, brimming with R&B grooves and a whole lot of soul. There are plenty of showcases for Ware's acrobatic vocals..."

Paste (magazine) - "[I]t's full of consistently subtle pop music that favors groove over rave. With their atmospheric swagger, both 'Sweetest Song' and 'Desire' sound like they could have been lifted right from Ware's debut."

Clash (magazine) - "[S]he imparts yearning with such controlled restraint and lightness of touch it's sublime. To top it all, latest single `Say You Love Me' is simply stunning."