Album Review: Brand New Life by Brandee Younger

Brand New Life expands upon an established, diverse body of work effortlessly surpassing boundaries; it delves into the creation of fresh avenues—artistic, individual, societal, and metaphysical.

Brand New Life, Brandee Younger's seventh solo LP, shows how the jazz harp can take on more and more interesting sounds. Because they are so rare, it is hard to find two performers with a bigger effect than Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby, who has inspired Younger's earlier work and continue to influence much of Brand New Life. Younger is a skilled artist with flowing melodic patterns and strong, multi-note harmonic swells showing off his sharp technique.

Her style is based on progressive post-bop jazz, but she also gets ideas from classical, funk, and R&B music. Younger often echoes Ashby, whose groundbreaking records like 1968's Afro-Harping set the stage for Younger's sound that goes beyond genres. This link is shown even more because she has worked with hip-hop stars like Pete Rock and 9th Wonder and Meshell Ndegeocello, Mumu Fresh, and McCraven, who makes cutting-edge music production. Joel Ross plays the vibraphone, Rahsaan Carter plays the bass, DeSean Jones plays the flute, Junius Paul plays the bass, and Yuri Popowycz plays the strings. She combines her harp's airy sound with complex drum beats, smooth bass, strings, marimba, and random flute.

The first single and opening track, the harp-focused You're a Girl for One Man Only, is an unrecorded composition by Ashby, which Younger has enhanced. Thanks to Younger's investigative prowess, we now have a piece that could have been a jazz standard in the 1960s, reimagined through Younger and McCraven's lens. Ross's glistening vibes, which meld seamlessly with the harp, add undeniable tranquility to the track. The title song, co-written with Mumu Fresh, showcases Fresh's harmonized vocals in a trio arrangement, accompanied by McCraven's lively beats and Carter's sonorous standup bass.

In Running Game Intro, Younger demonstrates her vocal and harpist skills. She is probably supported by Linda McNease-Younger and Sharon McNease-Griggs, both vocalists and members of the McNease family. This prepares the audience for Ashby's Running Game, a heavenly composition played by the trio along with Popowycz's strings and orchestrated by DeSean Jones. Younger plays a breathtaking solo harp interlude during Come Live With Me. Another composition by Ashby, Livin' and Lovin' in My Own Way, highlights the harp/vibes fusion above hip-hop rhythms, conveying the sense of a peaceful river ride. Pete Rock supplies drum programming to McCraven's beats for this track. This music has a memorable melody articulated by the leader while accompanied by an ensemble that includes Ross, who plays both the bass and strings, and Paul on the bass.

Her rendition of Ashby's most well-known tune, The Windmills of Your Mind, is as mesmerizing as the original. Younger reimagines the song by imbuing the atmosphere with a pointed hip-hop influence and receiving backing from DJ/producer 9th Wonder. The album continues with other songs influenced by classic R&B, such as the laid-back title track, which features the vocals of Mumu Fresh, and Dust, which features Meshell Ndegeocello and has a reggae flavor. In addition, there are daring musical works like Moving Target, which is an addictive combination of chill dance sounds and vast orchestral jazz. Younger covers one of Stevie Wonder's most beautiful ballads, If It's Magic, as the album's closing track.

Do not be deterred by the numerous hip-hop references. The contributions of the featured artists embellish an album with sophistication and refinement. Although Brandee Younger's work frequently employs a classic soul-jazz aesthetic, her music is marked by confident modernity and innovative concepts, ensuring it is always distinctly contemporary.

Great (★★★★☆)