Brand New Life

by Brandee Younger

Overview

Jazz harp is a unique instrument and one that takes on ever more intoxicating textures on Brandee Younger's seventh album, 2023's Brand New Life. In fact, harp is so rare in jazz circles it's hard to think of two more influential performers on the instrument than Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, both of whom Younger has drawn from in the past and whose work inspires much of Brand New Life. Younger is a strikingly gifted performer, blessed with a crisp technique marked by spiraling, melodic lines and great harmonic, multi-note swells. While sophisticated post-bop jazz is at the core of her style, she pulls equally from classical, funk, and R&B. Primarily, she evokes the work of Ashby, whose groundbreaking albums like 1968's Afro-Harping serve as a model for Younger's own genre-bending sound. Here, she showcases her vibrant harp sound, juxtaposing her glassy, otherworldly tone with skittering drum grooves, velvety bass, strings, marimba, and the occasional flute. There's a dream-like quality to her playing here, as in the opening "You're a Girl for One Man Only," a shimmering take on the romantic Ashby ballad that sounds like it was culled from the soundtrack to a '70s romantic thriller. Just as compelling is her reading of Ashby's most recognizable composition, "The Windmills of Your Mind," which Younger reworks with an angular hip-hop-infused atmosphere with the aid of DJ/producer 9th Wonder. Other throwback R&B-style moments follow, including the languid title track featuring vocalist Mumu Fresh and the reggae-infused "Dust" with Meshell N'degeocello. There are also bold instrumental tracks, like "Moving Target," a woozy blend of downtempo club grooves and widescreen orchestral jazz. While there's certainly a classic soul-jazz vibe to much of Younger's work, her music is swaggering, boldly contemporary, and too conceptually forward-thinking to ever feel anything less than of the now. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2023
Label:	Impulse!
UPC:	0602455076878
Rank:	42958

Tracks

1. You're a Girl for One Man Only
2. Brand New Life
3. Come Live with Me (Interlude)
4. Livin' and Lovin' in My Own Way
5. Running Game (Intro)
6. Running Game
7. Moving Target
8. Dust
9. The Windmills of Your Mind
10. If It's Magic

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Brandee Younger   Primary Artist,Harp,Vocals
Pete Rock   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
9th Wonder   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Meshell Ndegeocello   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Mumu Fresh   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Junius Paul   Bass
Joel Ross   Xylophone,Vibraphone
De'Sean Jones   Flute
Rashaan Carter   Bass
Makaya McCraven   Drums,Percussion
Yuri Popowycz   Strings
Linda Mcnease-Younger   Vocals
Sharon McNease-Griggs   Vocals

Technical Credits

Kevin Reeves   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Dahlia Ambach Caplin   A&R
Dorothy Ashby   Composer
Russ Carlyle   Composer
Marilyn Bergman   Composer
Pete Rock   Drum Programming,Additional Production
9th Wonder   Drum Programming,Additional Production
Michel Legrand   Composer
Maimouna Youssef   Composer
Alan Bergman   Composer
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Brandee Younger   Composer,Liner Notes
De'Sean Jones   Arranger
Tom Arndt   Release Coordinator,Production Coordination
Dave Vettraino   Mixing,Engineer,Recording
Makaya McCraven   Producer,Production Coordination
Ashley Pawlak   Design,Creative Director
Aja Burrell Wood   Liner Notes
Ivan J. Washabaugh   Composer
Michael Jospeh Caranda   Composer
Tinku Bhattaharyya   Management