Tough Love (Jessie Ware) | 3/5

SINGAPORE - First there was Adele, then came Lorde. Could Jessie Ware be the next “big thing”? Judging from her sophomore album, it’s safe to say that she hasn’t given up on trying. With her ebony hair and understated vocals, Ware’s appeal has had her being described as the 21st Century Sade. Tough Love begins with a surprise. The title track finds her singing an octave higher than usual - a place somewhere between dreamlike and oxygen deprivation - that adds a new dimension to her delivery. Keep On Lying sounds like a gospel choir singing atop a chintzy keyboard stuck on the bossa-nova setting. Champagne Kisses lacks in lyrical originality, but makes up for it with melodic potency, while Say You Love Me (co-written with Ed Sheeran) is a swooning acoustic ballad that doesn’t exactly reinvent the pop-music circle. In other words: This album is big but it could have been much bigger.