Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!

Review Score:

A

The Unprecedented Times –

April 29 / 2023

Jessie Ware’s That! Feels Good! is a triumphant disco celebration. Her voice shines across a nonstop run of well-produced grooves. It feels like a crime to listen to this sitting down. 

That! Feels Good! greets us with whispers of the album’s title by a diverse array of voices (including Kylie Minogue and Jessie’s own mother). Then, a bassline worthy of Michael Jackson himself. The opener is strong. I felt underdressed listening to it, like I needed flared pants and a snakeskin vest with a V so low that they wouldn’t let me into a club of any kind. After the first track, one might feel comfortable settling in for a pure disco throwback record. But Jessie Ware keeps the listener on their toes. “Free Yourself” infuses this disco sound with house and electronic elements. These are a reoccurring theme, and are used tastefully. Jessie Ware isn’t here to just make disco in 2023. She’s here to make it her way.

Her voice is particularly well suited for this style of music. It pairs just as well with a clavichord as it does with the horns. The choruses are especially powerful. “Pearls” demonstrates Ware’s undeniable confidence, one of the major themes of this record. The album borrows from the clear influences of disco and dance pioneers without ever taking too much. While the best tracks are on the front half of the record, the second half’s generally smoother, shuffling beats still make for a graceful exit.

A record like this, so steeped in a genre and clear inspiration, could easily have fallen by the wayside as a fun, sweet homage to the work of past icons. Ware and her team have taken great care in ensuring that this record stands on its own. It’s confident, it’s empowered, it’s groovy, and it’s a damn good album.

Review Score:

A