Devotion

Devotion marries her natural gift with throbbing instrumentation that breathes life into every single turn of phrase or sensitive vocal embellishment.

She perfects [her] approach on this set of elegant synth ballads, confiding hopes and heartbreaks in tones that command attention without ever chewing the scenery.

The new songs on this already-strong collection only elevate the ceiling of Ware’s potential.

Despite the myriad references [Sade, Aaliyah]... it's clear Ware has found a voice of her own on Devotion.

ny quibbles are minor here though, for Devotion is a truly impressive debut album from yet another talented British singer.

Ware has the pipes to come out on top of a TV singing competition, but it's her control, style, and musical choices that make Devotion so interesting.

Ware gives her most understated performance on the record, and ironically her most anonymous, but the track's hypnotic, uneasy lurch calls for this delivery.

It's a strong and accomplished debut, and Jessie Ware has provided the missing link between SBTRKT and Sade. Whether you think that's a good thing is your call.

For the most part this is a flawless, breathless lap around both pop and "underground" music. 'Devotion' is the sound of modern pop, modern love - and heartbreak.

Like all the great British pop records of the past five years, Devotion combines the present and the past to make a record that sounds both contemporary and timeless.

If this isn't the album of the year, it's at least the art-pop album of the year, or the neo-sophisti-pop album of the year, or--beside Frank Ocean's Channel Orange--the alternative R&B album of the year.

It's honest, heartfelt and warm.

There's nothing "next" about Ware: she's here, now, and superb.

Devotion contains just enough variety to make for an enticing listen.

It's lush, sophisticated pastiche, best epitomized by debut single Running.

Just when Devotion looks like it could be losing its way, the most incongruous track of the eleven pulls it out of the bag.

On Devotion, Ware demonstrates a knack for weaving everything together. And just like in the best-tailored clothes, it's difficult to see the seams.

Here, on record, buttressed by her own diaphanous back-up vocals, she's fading deliciously into the background even as she's finally stepping into the spotlight.

There's a youthful, warm energy emanating from Ware's vocals that enervates Devotion, making it more than a mere exercise in restrained, sophisticated sexiness.

Despite the occasional tendency to soar above when her songs could benefit from some earthiness, in the main Ware's sheer, confident boldness carries the day.

Devotion does something remarkable in making the universal--love, heartbreak, and yes, devotion--feel specific, simply because Jessie Ware doesn't sound like she's lying.

While nearly everything else is still top tier pop music, but the Englishwoman leaves herself some room to grow. For now, Devotion is one the year's most promising debuts.

This debut's sophistication might mean Jessie slinks to the forefront rather than shoving her way to the top, but however long it takes, Devotion marks a new chapter in this future-pop superstar's journey.

The more you listen, the less the album reveals; her vocals fall between sultry and sterile, and you wish, to take two of her professed influences, that she was a little less Sade, and a little more Chaka Khan.

Adorned with production that's as sympathetic to UK underground dance as it is to modern R&B and classic soul, Devotion is a classy affair that delights in its own refinement yet stays pinned to the earth, a talented singer and songwriter realizing her potential at just the right moment.