Jessie Ware: “Pearls”

Jessie Ware hinted at leaving the dancefloor behind after 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure, but on “Pearls,” the single announcing her upcoming album, That! Feels Good!, the UK singer has her feet still planted. Assisted by the likes of Clarence Coffee Jr. (Dua Lipa, Beyoncé) and Stuart Price (Kylie Minogue, Madonna), “Pearls” is ascendant and evangelistic disco that feels fuller than the smoky club tracks of her last album. Gliding over springy keys and cheery percussion, Ware trades her sinuous purrs for jubilant cries that showcase her dazzling upper range. The harmonies plume like steam, the production is dense and fortissimo, and Ware sets the intention to chase a little danger. “Offfff, let me go! Let me dance!” she belts, as if pushing through a scrum of bouncers, never sounding so warm-blooded and rapturous.