That! Feels Good!＜限定盤/Red Vinyl＞

That! Feels Good! is an emphatic answer to 2020s Whats Your Pleasure? in more than one way. The dialogue evoked by the titles translates to how Jessie Wares fifth album relates to her fourth, as this moves the party into a bigger and more opulent disco with a laser focus on fevered physical gratification. Continuing to work with primary Whats Your Pleasure? collaborator James Ford, Ware also pairs here with Stuart Price -- who reached out after helping Pet Shop Boys and Dua Lipa make other dancefloor bombs dropped in 2020 -- to assist in turning up the heat. Somewhat surprisingly, this set is considerably less electronic, more "Relight My Fire" than "I Feel Love." The dashing 70s flashback on the previous LPs "Step into My Life" was a kind of precursor to the wider use of robust brass and strings, and pianos skip and rollick through a few especially potent songs such as "Free Yourself" and "Begin Again." Ware and company cleverly twist tried-and-true lyrical themes present throughout the history of dance music -- rebirth, independence, communal celebration, the quest for release after being overworked and, of course, the desire for passionate intimate connection. Vocally, Ware has somehow found another gear, turning in her most commanding performances while having what sounds like a ball with her background singers. She isnt above supplementing her unmistakable smoldering and blazing leads with clear references to inspirations, recalling effervescent Teena Marie (again) and authoritative Grace Jones at points in the title song, and striking a pose like Madonna in "Shake the Bottle." The Ford and Price collaborations are almost evenly split and easily commingle, so its only right that the producers each assist with a slower number. "Hello Love," modeled on lavish late-70s soul with a warm zephyr from Chelsea Carmichaels saxophone, delights in an unexpected rekindling, while "Lightning," a spacious and pulsing slow jam, basks in a blooming romance. These two ballads dont have the feel of afterthoughts on an album fizzing with wholly liberated and exhilarating grooves. ~ Andy Kellman

UKで絶大な支持を得るロンドン出身のSSW、Jessie Wareの5枚目のアルバム。70'sのディスコのような豪華絢爛な《Pearls》、厚みのある絶妙なヴォーカルのハーモニーが堪らない《Being Again》がオススメ。またメロウでソウルフルな楽曲《Hello Love》は、彼女のパワフルな歌唱力にうっとりせずにはいられない。近年Dua Lipa、Kylie Minogueがリリースした作品を思わせるゴージャスさがある上に、さらにディスコ色が強くなり、煌びやかでノスタルジックな楽曲ばかりで思わず身体が動いてしまう圧倒的な完成度を誇る一枚。
intoxicate (C)石田真生

前作でのダンス・ポップ/ディスコ路線が評判を得てから3年ぶりとなる新作は、その路線をさらに推し進めた内容だ。熱血ガラージな"Free Yourself"や美麗でソウルフルな"Pearls"はアンセム感のあるメロディーやコーラスが清々しく、他にもラテン・ディスコ、フレンチ・ハウスなど時代を跨いで華やかなミラーボーリズムを詰め込んでいく。合間に挿まれるオーセンティックなR&B路線も素晴らしく、穏やかなミッド"Hello Love"では優美な歌声でアクセントを生み、終盤のスロウ"Lightning"では初期のアトモスフェリックな魅力も味わえる。彼女の10年を超えるキャリアの集大成となる傑作だ。
bounce (C)池谷瑛子