Jessie Ware recently posted the track “Share It All” – the latest to be leaked in the run up to her soon to be released full length, “Tough Love” (I haven’t been able to figure out a US date for the album). You can listen to the track above, and it’s also streaming on her Soundcloud page.
The song was co-written with Romy of The XX, and that band’s sonic fingerprints are felt throughout – Ware’s typically pristine vocals float amidst a languid atmosphere full of sonar synths and a thick bass drum. As it unfurls, the song glides along on a snappy beat that wouldn’t have been out of place on an old SOS Band cut. Ware puts her own stamp on the arrangement when she begins to riff on the initial, hypnotically repetitive melody.
It’s an interesting contrast in attitude and style. In the hands of The XX, the lines “could you share it all with me/and I’ll share it all with you/…if you want to” might have been delivered as a whispered plea to a would-be partner who’s busy talking to another on the other side of the room – the longed for reply never truly expected. For Ware, the lines are sung “to”, rather than “at” someone, but in a hopeful, romantic way – there’s nothing brash here (think Sade, not Beyoncé). A lovely little ballad.