Through a series of early collaborations - as part of mid-noughties indie type Jack Penate's backing band and guesting with SBTRKT - and an array of credible mates and vehement supporters (Florence Welch, Katy B, The Maccabees et al), South Londoner Jessie Ware has always been tied in with a slightly more alternative crowd than her slick, soulful pop suggests.

Backed by both Radio 4 and the NME, it's hard to know where the singer's niche truly fits. Her music - glossy and soothing - is of the ilk that floats happily in the background of any given Starbucks, easing you inoffensively into the rest of your day. Yet Ware herself, both live and in interview, is far more effusive, charismatic and downright funny than this description suggests. The whole package is one at odds with itself, but with second album Tough Love, it seems that the singer is happy to fully embrace her commercial potential.

You'll probably have already heard 'Say You Love Me', Ware's collaboration with omnipresent chart dominator Ed Sheeran - a slow jam ballad full of easily digestible romantic sentiments ("Say you want me/ That's all that it takes/ My heart's getting torn from the mistakes") and a lighters aloft chorus that you could easily imagine the ginger troubadour strumming along to himself. It's one of the most obvious songs on the record, and while that can be (and kind of is) a criticism, you can't really blame Ware for wanting to reach for the big bucks.

With production team BenZel on board (featuring Katy Perry super producer Benny Blanco), there's no reason why Tough Love shouldn't pitch Jessie as the new Adele for cooler kids. The subject matter rarely strays from the 21 singer's favourite topics of love and heartache, while Ware's vocal is emotively captivating, capable of going from an intimate husky coo to a soaring lovelorn cry with ease. On the poppier side of things lies 'You & I (Forever)' with it's weird melodic similarity to Leona Lewis mega-hit 'Bleeding Love' (albeit given an understated twist) and sultry, doe-eyed lust fest 'Champagne Kisses' - written with US lothario Miguel. On the more introverted side is the title track with its fragile, falsetto vocal and minimal beats, and twilit r'n'b offering 'Sweetest Song'. Yet, the main thing that connects them is easy (arguably too easy) lyrical relatability.

"You're the sweetest one/ I can hear your song forever," goes the aforementioned 'Sweetest Song'. "Cos actions speak louder than the words you say/ I've been wondering why I've been holding on," laments 'Cruel'. Even the warmly sparse 'Keep On Lying', the most beguiling track melodically, is built around a chorus that croons: "If this isn't love, then I don't wanna know". If Tough Love had a subtitle, it would likely be 'Sad Songs To Drink Chardonnay To While You're Missing Your Partner'. It's a trick, as Adele will tell you, that's likely to send Ware catapulting into the big leagues, but also one that feels a little too obvious for an artist who clearly has a lot more spark in her than just doling out cliches.

The upshot is a record that's just kind of... nice. Its dulcet, romantic atmosphere is basically impossible to truly hate, but its tried-and-tested sentiments make it equally as hard to invest in Jessie as an individual. Still, if there continues to be a gap in the heartbreak anthems market as the wait for Ms Adkins' return drags on, then we'd rather it be Ware than most.

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Tracks to download: 'Sweetest Song', 'Say You Love Me'