Devotion (Jessie Ware album)
Devotion | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 20 August 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2010–2013 | |||
Studio | Red Bull Studios in London Bridge, London, United Kingdom[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:31 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Jessie Ware chronology | ||||
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Jessie Ware studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Devotion | ||||
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Devotion is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Jessie Ware. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 August 2012 through PMR Records and Island, and later on 16 April 2013 through Cherrytree and Interscope in the United States. Production for the album came primarily from Dave Okumu of alternative rock band The Invisible, alongside house Record producer Julio Bashmore and Kid Harpoon with contribution from Wilma Archer, fellow UK musician and collaborator Sampha and Hassan Hamandi, while Ware co-wrote most of the album tracks' lyrics.
The album was re-released under the title "Devotion – The Gold Edition" on 15 April 2013 in the United Kingdom, containing a bonus disc with four tracks, including a new single, "Imagine It Was Us" and "Valentine" – a previously-released collaboration with musician Sampha in 2011. One day later, this version was released in the United States under its original title with a slightly different track list, omitting the latter track while including a remix version of "Wildest Moments", which features American rapper A$AP Rocky.[7]
Upon its release, Devotion received critical acclaim from various critics for its "sophisticated, smooth and sensual" production, further citing the album as a "uniquely soulful masterclass". Ware's vocal performance also received positive remarks, with music critics praising her being "faithful to melody over melisma" and her background as a backing vocalist. The album was eventually chosen as the twentieth best album of 2012, and later recognized as one of the 100 best albums of the decade so far by
Six singles have been released from Devotion to further promote the project, starting with "
Background and release
"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."
–Jessie Ware on her experience with Jack Peñate as a backing vocalist.[10]
In the years prior to releasing her first solo album, Ware did backing vocals at live shows for
Composition
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/BobbyCaldwellByPhilKonstantin.jpg/220px-BobbyCaldwellByPhilKonstantin.jpg)
Except for the fifth track "No to Love", which was written and produced solely by Okumu, Ware co-wrote most of the album tracks' lyrics. Production for Devotion came primarily from
Devotion opens with the eponymous album track, a "dark and dense" song that hints at "passion's underbelly" with deep bass hit that portraits sonic signature by Okumu.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/A%24AP_Rocky_performing_at_Hovefestivalen_2013.jpg/220px-A%24AP_Rocky_performing_at_Hovefestivalen_2013.jpg)
The album's ninth track, "110%", is a "gorgeously restrained summer smash" and "
Singles and promotion
Prior to the album's release in 2012, Ware released her first solo single "Strangest Feeling" on 14 October 2011, which was later included on the iTunes deluxe edition only. The singer then released the lead single "Running" on 24 February 2012, along with an accompanying music video for the track. It eventually received a physical release on 4 April, along with a remix version by Disclosure.
Following her signing deal with
"Wildest Moments" was then serviced to radio as the first official single in the States for the singer on 3 June 2013.Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10[48] |
Metacritic | 85/100[49] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | B+[51] |
Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Irish Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[55] |
Pitchfork | 8.5/10[56] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 8/10[59] |
Devotion received widespread acclaim from music critics upon its initial release. At
Tim Jonze of
Commercial performance
Devotion attained commercial success for Ware upon its initial release. By debuting at number five and sold 9,319 copies in its first week, the album was her first top-five entry on the UK Albums Chart, and at the time, her highest charting release.[60] It was later surpassed by the No. 3 peak of her fourth studio album What's Your Pleasure? (2020). The album eventually became her first release to receive a Gold certificate for having sold over 100,000 copies, and to date, her best-selling release in the UK.
Track listing
International version
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Devotion" | Dave Okumu | 3:24 | |
2. | "Wildest Moments" |
|
| 3:42 |
3. | "Running" |
|
| 4:28 |
4. | "Still Love Me" |
| Okumu | 3:56 |
5. | "No to Love" | Okumu | Okumu | 3:33 |
6. | "Night Light" |
|
| 4:13 |
7. | "Swan Song" |
| Okumu | 3:43 |
8. | "Sweet Talk" |
|
| 3:37 |
9. | "110%" |
| Bashmore | 3:27 |
10. | "Taking in Water" |
|
| 4:27 |
11. | "Something Inside" |
|
| 3:34 |
Total length: | 43:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Strangest Feeling" | 3:41 |
2. | "What You Won't Do for Love" | 4:04 |
3. | "Wildest Moments" (Acoustic Version) | 3:37 |
4. | "Running" (Acoustic Version) | 3:56 |
5. | "Running" (Wersja Akustyczna Ze Studia Polskiego Radia Im. A. Osieckiej) | 3:51 |
6. | "Night Light" (Wersja Akustyczna Ze Studia Polskiego Radia Im. A. Osieckiej) | 3:39 |
7. | "Running" (Disclosure Remix) | 5:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Imagine It Was Us" |
| Bashmore | 3:24 |
13. | "Valentine" (Jessie Ware and Sampha) |
| Sampha | 2:08 |
14. | "Wildest Moments" (Remix) (featuring A$AP Rocky) |
|
| 4:07 |
15. | "Running" (Disclosure Remix) |
| Disclosure | 5:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
16. | "Strangest Feeling" |
| 3:41 |
17. | "What You Won't Do for Love" |
| 4:04 |
18. | "Wildest Moments" (Acoustic Version) |
| 3:37 |
19. | "Running" (Acoustic Version) |
| 3:56 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
20. | "Night Light" (Live from Spotify London) | 3:35 |
21. | "Devotion" (Live from Spotify London) | 3:08 |
22. | "Wildest Moments" (Live from Spotify London) | 3:47 |
23. | "Running" (Live from Spotify London) | 3:43 |
US version
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Devotion" | Dave Okumu | 3:24 | |
2. | "Wildest Moments" |
|
| 3:42 |
3. | "Running" |
|
| 4:28 |
4. | "Still Love Me" |
| Okumu | 3:56 |
5. | "No to Love" | Okumu | Okumu | 3:33 |
6. | "Night Light" |
|
| 4:13 |
7. | "Swan Song" |
| Okumu | 3:43 |
8. | "Sweet Talk" |
|
| 3:37 |
9. | "If You're Never Gonna Move" |
| Bashmore | 3:27 |
10. | "Taking in Water" |
|
| 4:27 |
11. | "Something Inside" |
|
| 3:34 |
12. | "Imagine It Was Us" |
| Bashmore | 3:24 |
13. | "Wildest Moments" (Remix) (featuring A$AP Rocky) |
|
| 4:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Wildest Moments" (Live at The Cherrytree House) |
|
| 3:21 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "What You Won't Do for Love" (Live at The Cherrytree House) |
|
| 3:08 |
Personnel
Credits for Devotion adapted from Barnes & Noble.[63]
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
- Wilma Archer – guitar, piano, percussion
- 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
- Wilma Archer – composer, producer, engineer
- James Napier – composer
- Jessie Ware – composer
- Velour – producer
- Nigel Glasgow – engineer
- Breyner Baptista – composer
- Brendon Harding – engineer
- Laura Dockrill – composer
- Dan Vinci – engineer
- Rakim Mayers – composer
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Poland (ZPAV)[77] | Platinum | 20,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[78] | Gold | 100,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format(s) | Edition |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 20 August 2012 |
|
Devotion | |
15 April 2013 | Devotion: The Gold Edition | |||
United States[79] | 16 April 2013 |
|
References
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