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Jessie Ware On World Cafe

Jessie Ware.
Courtesy of the artist
Jessie Ware.

Soulful singer-songwriter Jessie Ware is far from the first vocalist to make the transition from backing vocals to center stage; Sheryl Crow once backed Michael Jackson, after all. But the Londoner has made the leap with tremendous success in her own right.

Ware's first album — Devotion, out now in the U.S. — was nominated for the U.K.'s Mercury Prize in 2012. It's attracted comparisons to Adele and Sade, but as she explains in this installment of World Cafe, she's still learning her craft as a writer. Here, she plays songs from Devotion and tells the story behind "Wildest Moments," which is based on a feud at a wedding.

This story originally ran on April 4, 2013.

Copyright 2013 XPN

David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.
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