Jessie Ware has a powerful and unique sound that she has developed over her years in the industry. Now, at the age of 40, she has amassed a core following and carries a wonderful reputation as a performer. Whilst older than some of her famous alumni school mates, she can say (or more so they can) they attended the same school as Florence Welch and Jack Penate, and some may argue she has had the most illustrious career to date. 

There is a line that is prominent throughout the song which is ‘Shake it till the Pearls fall.’ Songs can always have that level of interpretation that is up to the listener and unless you hear from the artist, you are left in that wonderful place of creativity as the audience. Jessie Ware, in my view, is talking about letting go, breaking the 9 to 5 and dancing and shaking the Pearls for parties. It conjures up a wonderful image of flamboyance and joy. 

However it isn’t the lyrics that set this track up for me. It is the sheer purity and excellence in composition, production and delivery. Jessie Ware has an outstanding voice, that much can’t be doubted, but this arrangement combines soul, funk and some 90s pop diva thrown in. The final production is superbly balanced and the complexities of the layered instruments is fascinating to listen along with. I love this track and I think we will be hearing it a lot more over the coming weeks and months.

Author: Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is a musician, producer and music reviewer from Devon, in the South West of England. Whilst not writing music reviews, Phil also writes and records under the name of Ugbrooke.