Esperanza

Esperanza Spalding - Esperanza

Esperanza
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CD Details

Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Brand: SPALDING,ESPERANZA
Edition: Music CD
Audio: Spanish (Unknown); English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Music Label: Heads Up
Product features:
  • SPALDING ESPERANZA ESPERANZA
Soundtracks:
  1. Ponta De Areia
  2. I Know You Know
  3. Fall In
  4. I Adore You
  5. Cuerpo y Alma
  6. She Got To You
  7. Precious
  8. Mela
  9. Love In Time
  10. Espera
  11. If That's True
  12. Samba Em Preludio

Music reviews of Esperanza

Music Review: The #1 album in a more perfect world
Rating: 4 Stars

Bassist-singer Esperanza Spalding's self-titled CD starts like a warm breeze. "Ponta de Areia", like many of the songs, has a playful spirit. The music (on all songs) is both accessible and musical. I didn't figure out the chords to any of the songs or anything, but they combine pop accessibility with jazz depth. Esperanza sings both in Portuguese and wordlessly on this tune. "I Know You Know" is the first of the English songs about relationships. Her lyric-writing isn't as deep as the music, but has some good lyrical phrases. "I Know You Know" has a deeper funk feel. "Fall In" is a duet with pianist Leo Genovese. "I Adore You" starts with Esperanza and backup singers singing wordlessly, and this turns into a group improvisation, including scatting with the bass and some unfettered piano throughout. It, along with "Body And Soul," forms the heart of the CD. "Cuerpo y Alma (Body & Soul)" sounds nothing like the other versions I've heard. Part of it is the Portuguese, the other part is that the music fits with the rest of the CD. "She Got To You" has my favorite lyrics, where Esperanza laments the loss of a boyfriend to a different girl, but the breeziness of the song makes it seem like she wasn't too upset about it. "Mela" has Ambrose Akinmusire guesting on trumpet. "Love In Time" is a more traditional-sounding jazz ballad, though the bass solo isn't typical. Spalding's bass is very good, she plays with a melodic virtuosity. "Espera" is back to the style of the CD, though at slower tempo. "If That's True" is another instrumental, and it has the core bass-piano-drums augmented by Akinmusire and Donald Harrison on sax. It's a fiery swinger, and like most of the songs, was written by Spalding. "Samba Em Preludio" is another duet, this time with Nino Josele on guitar.

If popular tastes in music were more musical (think about Bach vs. the Foo Fighters, or Ellington vs. Young Jeezy), this CD would be playing from every every radio in America. Since it's catchy and fun, you might think it's lightweight or a sell-out, but it's too musical to let those sorts of accusations stick. Why do I give it four stars and not five? I think a more mature-sounding CD would be a classic, especially if the instrumental parts were more Binney-esque or Mingus-ian. She has the talent, it's just a matter of time.
More Esperanza free music reviews:
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Description of Esperanza

"Esperanza," bassist/vocalist/composer Esperanza Spalding's debut on Heads Up International, is set for worldwide release on May 20, 2008. Armed with uncanny instrumental chops, a siren voice that spans three languages, and composing and arranging skills that weave together the best elements of the old-school with the progressive, this 23-year-old has crafted a debut album that takes a completely fresh and refreshing approach to jazz by borrowing from the rich traditions of soul, pop, world music and so much more.

Esperanza is joined in the studio by a crew of A-list session players, including flamenco guitar virtuoso Niño Josele, percussionist Jamey Haddad, drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, saxophonist Donald Harrison and several other seasoned talents - all of whom collectively serve as further evidence of the kind of creative energy and magnetism that she radiates.

Never mind that in 2005--at the age of 20--Esperanza Spalding became the youngest instructor in the history of Berklee College of Music. It's what's on wax that counts--or CD, or MP3, if preferred. On Esperanza, her debut set for Heads Up International, Spalding presents a prowess on the acoustic bass that many bassists with far more experience could be inspired by. Need proof? Check out "Mela," on which Spalding?s chops on the upright are matched (if not exceeded) by her tangerine-and-honey vocals. There is a lilt in her voice that, to be sure, puts the blind optimism of her youth front and center. But who needs another jaded jazz singer? This multi-lingual set starts off with the mellow, mid-tempo "Ponta De Areia." From there Spalding winds her way through an appropriate group of mostly self-penned songs that are simultaneously sweet, commanding, calming, and intense. Of particular note are the hopeful "Espera," and her take on "Cuerpo y Alma" (the jazz standard "Body & Soul" in Spanish). And yes, purists, she can scat. Her name, Esparanza, is the Spanish word for "hope." Here's hope for a bright future and satisfying career following this wonderfully refreshing album. --Eric C.P. Martin

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