Esperanza (Esperanza Spalding album)
| Esperanza | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 20, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Studio | Wellspring Sound (Acton, Massachusetts) & Big Time Audio (Jonesborough, Tennessee) | |||
| Length | 67:36[1] | |||
| Language |
| |||
| Label | Heads Up | |||
| Producer | Esperanza Spalding | |||
| Esperanza Spalding chronology | ||||
| ||||
Esperanza is the second studio album by American bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding. It was released on May 20, 2008 by Heads Up International.[2]
Having been exposed to many cultures while growing up, Spalding sings in three languages on the album: English, Spanish and Portuguese.[3] After Spalding's Grammy Award win in February 2011, the album entered the Billboard 200 at 138.
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [4] |
| Allmusic | [5] |
| Tom Hull | B+[6] |
Thom Jurek of AllMusic stated, "On this recording she seeks to widen her musical adventure at every turn, but she does it with such with taste, refinement, and a playful sense of humor that virtually anyone who encounters this offering will find not only much to delight in, but plenty to be amazed by as well."[5] Myles Tanzer in his book Music Is My Life: Soundtrack Your Mood With 80 Artists for Every Occasion commented, "...on that album she sings in three languages, sings her heart out, and plays masterfully."[7] Nate Chinen of Vibe added, "Like the basketball that shares her name, Spalding bounces around. But this album doesn’t make a slapdash show of eclecticism. Spalding has fashioned something cohesive and diverse, calling upon a strong coalition of musicians and the depth of her own skills. It’s clear Esperanza’s definitely got game—and has no hung-ups about showing it."[8] Jeff Winbush of All About Jazz added that the album "flat-out smokes, and showcases the Berklee-trained bassist as potentially one of the more promising young talents in jazz."[4]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Esperanza Spalding except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ponta de Areia" | Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant | 5:39 |
| 2. | "I Know You Know" | 3:46 | |
| 3. | "Fall In" | 3:57 | |
| 4. | "I Adore You" | 7:27 | |
| 5. | "Cuerpo y Alma (Body & Soul)" | Edward Heyman, Robert Sour | 8:01 |
| 6. | "She Got to You" | 4:29 | |
| 7. | "Precious" | 4:24 | |
| 8. | "Mela" | 6:57 | |
| 9. | "Love in Time" | 5:47 | |
| 10. | "Espera" | 4:40 | |
| 11. | "If That's True" | 7:33 | |
| 12. | "Samba em Preludio" | Vinícius de Moraes, Baden Powell | 5:11 |
| Total length: | 67:36 | ||
Personnel[edit]
- Esperanza Spalding – electric bass, acoustic bass, vocals
- Leo Genovese – piano, Wurlitzer electric piano (track 7), Fender Rhodes piano (track 10)
- Jamey Haddad – percussion
- Otis Brown – drums
- Horacio Hernandez – drums (tracks 4 and 8)
- Ambrose Akinmusire – trumpet (tracks 8 and 11)
- Donald Harrison – saxophone (tracks 6 and 11)
- Gretchen Parlato – background vocals (tracks 1 and 4)
Chart performance[edit]
Esperanza spent over 70 weeks on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums Chart.[9]
| Chart (2009–10) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] | 12 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 37 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 138 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 40 |
| US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[14] | 16 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] | 12 |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[16] | 3 |
References[edit]
- ^ Esperanza at Amazon.
- ^ Allmusic review on Esperanza
- ^ Ernest Barteldes, "Esperanza Spalding" Archived 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine, New Times (Broward Palm Beach), August 14, 2008.
- ^ a b Winbush, Jeff. "Esperanza Spalding: Esperanza album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ a b Allmusic review
- ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Esperanza Spalding". Tom Hull. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ Tanzer, Myles (4 February 2020). Music Is My Life: Soundtrack your mood with 80 artists for every occasion. Wide Eyed Editions. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-7112-4918-9. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ Chinen, Nate (July 2008). "Revolutions". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ All Music Guide review of Chamber Music Society
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Esperanza". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Esperanza". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
