Jessie Ware – ‘Superbloom’ album review: The victory lap for Ware’s disco era
When Jessie Ware first emerged with Devotion in 2011, an album of sleek sophisti-pop that occasionally ventured into R&B territory, it was clear that she was an artist who was determined to play by her own rules rather than following the strict set of guidelines often offered to those in the mainstream sphere.
The Skinny: What people may not have expected was that on her fourth album, What’s Your Pleasure?, she’d pivot into becoming a disco powerhouse, evoking the 1970s with all of the funky bombast of the genre’s most legendary names, and that she’d find a comfortable home within this realm that she could repeatedly channel to create the strongest run of her career. If That! Feels Good! was proof that this was no mere fluke, then Superbloom is a victory lap of sorts.
While disco is often a genre that finds itself slipping into states of being thematically despondent and searching for hope in a dark place, while the instrumentals burst with a vibrancy, Ware appears to be able to uncover the hope in her lyricism, and appears to be grateful for all of the love that she is blessed with. However, underpinning a lot of this is the hope that she can hold onto this for eternity and never let go of those moments and people she cherishes so much.
Having experienced considerable amounts of grief and loss within her personal life during the creation of the album, Superbloom sees Ware at her most defiant in an effort to ensure that she can remain on top despite the challenges that life throws at her. Alongside this comes an assuredness and a fearlessness, with her choosing to peel back the curtain on her personal life a little more in her lyrics, with tracks like ‘16 Summers’ and ‘Love You’ being genuine insights into her feelings about family in a way that she’s previously chosen to obfuscate.
There are moments where cinematic string flourishes add the sense that Ware is looking to expand on her previous outings with an even more lavish approach, and while that works a treat on the title track and ‘Automatic’, the playfulness tips over into kitsch a little too much on the Ennio Morricone-interpolating ‘Ride’.
This assuredness can tip over into being a little over-confident and complacent at times, with the weaker moments being exposed by the sense that Ware knows all too well what has worked for her in recent years, but for the most part, as previously hinted at, Superbloom is a celebration of both the artist and the woman that Ware has become in the last half-decade as she has endured her most successful period. The risk is resting on her laurels for too long and allowing that celebration to fizzle out with diminishing returns on the same formula.
Standout Track: ‘Automatic’
The Verdict: A change-up might well be welcome for album number seven, but Ware’s latest disco-pop knees-up is a jubilant record from someone operating at the top of her game. Fans ought to have every faith that she’ll keep things that way, but it might need some sprucing up as she seems to be near the end of this era’s natural lifespan.
Release Date: April 17th, 2026 | Producer: Barney Lister, Jon Shave, James Ford, Karma Kid, Stuart Price | Label: EMI
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.