Devotion (Jessie Ware album)

Devotion
Studio album by
Jessie Ware
Released20 August 2012 (2012-08-20)
Recorded2010–2013
StudioRed Bull Studios in London Bridge, London, United Kingdom[1]
Genre
Length43:31
Label
Producer
Jessie Ware chronology
Nervous
(2010) 		Devotion
(2012) 		No to Love
(2012)
Jessie Ware studio album chronology
Devotion
(2012) 		Tough Love
(2014)
Singles from Devotion
  1. "Running"
    Released: 24 February 2012
  2. "110%"
    Released: 13 April 2012
  3. "Wildest Moments"
    Released: 29 June 2012
  4. "Night Light"
    Released: 25 September 2012
  5. "Sweet Talk"
    Released: 21 January 2013
  6. "Imagine It Was Us"
    Released: 12 April 2013

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 Pitchfork in August 2014.[8] The release of Devotion also helped Ware earn her first nomination for the Album of the Year category at the 2012 Mercury Prize award, as well as other Best Female Artists and Breakthrough nominations at MOBO Awards and BRIT Awards.[9] It also attained commercial success for Ware, becoming her first top-five entry on the UK Albums Chart, her first to receive a Gold certificate and to date, her best-selling release. The album was also her first entry on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number seventy-nine for one week, while being her first and only top-ten album to date on the Belgium Albums (Ultratop Flanders) chart, peaking at number eight. It also received a Platinum certificate in Poland, where it peaked at number thirteen on the Polish Albums Chart.

Six singles have been released from Devotion to further promote the project, starting with "Running" on 24 February 2012, with "If You're Never Gonna Move" and "Wildest Moments" followed en suite prior to the album release in August 2012. The latter two singles became a breakthrough success for Ware, earning the singer her first two top-fifty entries on the UK Singles Chart. "Night Light" and "Sweet Talk" were released as the album's fourth and fifth single, with the former becoming Ware's third top 100 entry on the UK Singles Chart upon its release. With the reissue of the album taking place on 15 April 2013 in the United Kingdom, "Imagine It Was Us" was released as the sixth and final single from the album, attaining minor success on both the UK Singles Chart and French Singles Chart. To further promote the album, Ware signed a distribution deal with Cherrytree Records in October 2012, which eventually led to several live gigs for the singer between December 2012 and January 2013, with follow-up tour dates which includes her participation at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and Wireless Festival in the same year.

  1. ^ "RED BULL STUDIOS PRESENTS JESSIE WARE: REMIXED". AAAStudios. 4 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "The Translator: Sophisti-pop". Exclaim!. 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Album Of The Week: Jessie Ware Devotion". Stereogum. 21 August 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ^ Pitchfork Staff (8 October 2019). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 May 2023. Devotion flits between sumptuous pop-R&B and sweeping power ballads...
  6. ^ "Jessie Ware – Devotion: exclusive album stream | Music | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Hear A$AP Rocky Get Sensitive on Jessie Ware's 'Wildest Moments' Remix". Spin. 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  8. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)". Pitchfork Media. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Jessie Ware, Mercury Prize Nominee, Preps EP for U.S. Release". Billboard. 8 December 2012. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.