Music Head Wrote:online listen
gotta be tough to follow up a Best New Artist grammy
at least they didn't give it to fellow nominee Bieber
r&b, funk, jazz, extremely versatile artist here
beautiful voice but not crazy about the material
shades of old style, but overall too contemporary for my taste
1.4 from me and not yet rated by the pros at allmusic

from the album - Black Gold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nppb01xhfe0

released Mar 20th, 2012



Bio - from allmusic

Hailed as a prodigy on the acoustic double bass within months of first touching the instrument as a 15-year-old,
Esperanza Spalding has emerged as a fine jazz bassist, but has also distinguished herself playing blues, funk, hip
-hop, pop fusion, and Brazilian and Afro-Cuban styles as well. Born in Portland, OR in 1984, Spalding was not well
served by the public school system and soon dropped out of classes to be home-schooled. Returning to the public
school system at 15, she encountered her first acoustic bass (she had already been playing violin for several
years) and immediately took to the instrument. Dropping out of school again, Spalding enrolled in classes at
Portland State University as a 16-year-old, and earned her B.A. in just three years and was immediately hired as an
instructor in the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston in the spring of 2005. After touring and playing
with a whole host of artists, including Joe Lovano, Patti Austin, Michel Camilo, Charlie Haden, Regina Carter, Pat
Metheny, Dave Samuels, and many others, in addition to heading her own jazz trio, Spalding recorded and released
Junjo on the Barcelona-based Ayva imprint in 2006, following it with 2008's simply named Esperanza (on Heads Up
Records), which scored big with critics and listeners alike. The album topped Billboard's contemporary jazz chart
and remained on it for over 70 weeks. In addition, it became the best-selling album by a new jazz artist
internationally during 2008. Spalding followed it up with Chamber Music Society in August of 2010. The set was
comprised of eight originals and three covers -- including Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington's "Wild Is the Wind"
and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Inutil Paisagem." It was performed by Spalding's quartet with guest vocal appearances
from Milton Nascimento and Gretchen Parlato, a small string section, and guitarist Ricardo Vogt. the album reached
number one on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart, and she received a Grammy in 2011 for Best New Artist. Spalding
recorded a companion album to Chamber Music Society throughout 2011. Entitled Radio Music Society, this set
includes her regular band -- drummer Terry Lynne Carrington and pianist Leo Genovese -- with help from longtime
collaborator Joe Lovano on saxophone and numerous guests: drummers Jack DeJohnette and Billy Hart, guitarists Jef
Lee Johnson and Lionel Loueke, hip-hop producer and DJ Q-Tip, and a slew of vocalists, Parlato and Lalah Hathaway
among them. It was released in the early spring of 2012.

Album Review - from Washington Post

Before Esperanza Spalding triumphed at the Grammys last year, winning Best New Artist honors while throwing fans of
fellow contender Justin Bieber into a deep funk, she made the Washington rounds in style, appearing at the Kennedy
Center, the Lincoln Theater and the White House. Good gigs. The bassist-vocalist-composer also performed at the
Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2009, at the invitation of President Obama, and at the Oscars last month.

“Radio Music Society,” her new concept album, indicates that Spalding won’t be suffering a career reversal anytime
soon. Young, gifted and backed by an impressive array of pop, jazz and hip-hop talent, as well as some of her early
mentors, the 27-year-old native of Portland, Ore., has created her most enticing, personal and thematically diverse
collection yet, a welcome companion to her 2010 release “Chamber Music Society.”

Don’t bother looking for anything strikingly original. Spalding is a synthesist, not a ground-breaker. But from the
outset, “Radio Music Society” reveals her pop instincts, jazz sensibilities and social awareness with ingenuity.
“Radio Song,” a summery ode to rush-hour relief (“This song will keep you groovin’, keep traffic groovin’ ” is the
opener. It’s a simple, lighthearted lyric wed to a sophisticated arrangement that borrows freely from a variety of
jazz, pop and Latin traditions. It’s also the first of several reminders of how Spalding, like the jazz-savvy Joni
Mitchell before her, is capable of creating radio songs that have some musical heft.

Other engaging tunes follow suit. “Cinnamon Tree,” with its insinuating electric bass lines, perfectly suits
Spalding’s lithe soprano. Saxophonist Joe Lovano helps soulfully rejuvenate Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It,”
while Spalding’s torchy ballad “Hold on Me” radiates a brassy, blues-tinted allure. Thanks to Lovano and other jazz
heavyweights, including drummers Terri Lyne Carrington, Billy Hart and Jack DeJohnette, Spalding is in excellent
company throughout.

Ironically, some songs that stand out on “Radio Music Society” aren’t apt to snare widespread airplay. “Land of the
Free” is inspired by the plight of Cornelius Dupree, who served 30 years in prison after being falsely accused of
murder. It’s a stirring interlude, as is “Vague Suspicions,” a commentary on war, religion and the media.
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter, a hero to both Spalding and Mitchell, is represented by “Endangered Species.”

Spalding contributes a cautionary lyric about ecological abuse to the imaginatively arranged performance, a
showcase for guest vocalist Lalah Hathaway. On the other hand, “Black Gold,” the album’s first single, is bound to
win Spalding a lot of new fans. In addition to offering words of encouragement to African American boys (“Hold your
head as high as you can / high enough to see who you are, little man”, it boasts a bright and vibrant chorus.

The deluxe edition of “Radio Music Society” comes with a DVD that features a series of short films inspired by the
music. Not surprisingly, the album’s socially relevant songs make the most lasting video impressions.

Track Listing

1. Radio Song
2. Cinnamon Tree
3. Crowned & Kissed
4. Land of the Free
5. Black Gold
6. I Can't Help It
7. Hold on Me
8. Vague Suspicions
9. Endangered Species
10. Let Her
11. City of Roses
12. Smile Like That

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