The world is full of people who are either in love, out of love or, to crudely paraphrase Shakespeare's Romeo, "out of favour where I am in love". For those who fall into the latter two categories, never fear; in Tough Love, Jessie Ware has released an album so full of the stuff that there is more than enough to go round for all us lovesick pups. If debut record Devotion is concerned with the thrill of the chase, Tough Love is more of the opinion that there can be just as many thrills in the capture.
Now I am a grumpy sod; every time I see a couple holding hands in the street I lurch for the nearest bin to hold my vomit. But when I listen to Jessie Ware, my cynicism melts away and is exposed for what it really is: a mere defence mechanism to cover up my singleton sadness. Having torn down this wall down, the tracks on Tough Love take pity on me and allow a peek at the sleeping monster that is love; a counterfeit version, but convincing all the same. In this weakened state, I cannot help but listen to songs like 'Say You Love Me' and 'Sweetest Song' and melt along with my cynicism. "Can you hear it?" Jessie asks on 'Sweetest Song'; yes Jessie, good god I can hear it!
My defence mechanisms kick back into gear, as they always do, but Tough Love will always give me a little glimpse of what I might be missing.
