“And I hope I’m as brave as my mother/Wondering what kind of mother will I be/I hope she knows that I’ve found a man far from my father/Sam, my baby and me.” For two albums, Jessie Ware dealt in beautifully poised pop-soul. Her third leaves her beautifully vulnerable. “Sam”—gorgeous, raw and recorded when Ware was eight and a half months pregnant—helps open the floodgates, with the results deeply satisfying. Meanwhile, her signature slinky torch songs sound invigorated: “Midnight” segues from its haunting verses into a strutting “Bennie and the Jets”-style chorus, while “Your Domino” is an iridescent pop gem.
- Emeli Sandé
- Paloma Faith
- Florence + the Machine
- Lianne La Havas
- Years & Years