★★★★★
Let the wailing and hand-wringing begin. The phenomenal young jazz bassist/singer/arranger/producer, who scored an upset victory over Justin Bieber in taking the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2011, now has a follow-up to the CD that cemented her stature, Chamber Music Society. This year's Society is unabashedly commercial...
- jazztimes.com
2012-07-02
★★★★★
This ambitious new album from the Grammy-winning singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding is star-packed (Q-Tip, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette and Billy Hart, Lionel Loueke, Gretchen Parlato). Spalding's charisma, whimsical poetry and enthusiasm for jamming still run through the heavily produced set...
- www.guardian.co.uk
2012-04-09
★★★★★
If there's to be an unofficial ambassador for contemporary jazz then Esperanza Spalding could fit the bill nicely. The young bassist, singer, and composer brings a fresh exuberance marked by prodigious talent; honoring those who have paved the way, yet seeking to pursue her own path. Whether receiving the 2011 Grammy for "Best New Artist" or shining bright at the 2012 Academy Awards , in an unusual yet memorable performance, she's riding a wave of deserved recognition...
- www.allaboutjazz.com
2012-04-05
★★★★★
The format of musical structure that represented Esperanza Spalding's 2010 release Chamber Music Society is one that is centuries old. It's a presentation of music that had birthed itself in classical realms within a very intimate environment...
- www.glidemagazine.com
2012-04-02
★★★★★
After the breakthrough of 2010's Chamber Music Society, the album which saw bassist-vocalist Esperanza Spalding grab a Best New Artist Grammy as Justin Bieber's publicists wondered, "Who's she?" comes the tricky business of, "What's next?" Jazz snobs might already be turning up noses and closing down ears at a musician tainted by mainstream accolades, but Spalding was touring with saxophone colossus Joe Lovano a few months after waltzing off with the headline-making statuette...
- www.bbc.co.uk
2012-04-02
★★★★★
Heads Up Esperanza Spalding follows up the Grammy winning Chamber Music Society with a rangier CD that ought to bring her to the attention of an even wider audience. Radio Music Society is probably too sophisticated to fit comfortably into any traditional radio format, although it touches on several, including mainstream jazz, R&B; and funk. The quiet, strings-enhanced balladry of "Cinnamon Tree" follows the bouncy "Radio Song," laden with horns and vocal harmonies...
- www.relix.com
2012-03-26
★★★★★
The title of Esperanza Spalding's fourth album, Radio Music Society, may suggest that it's the Grammy-endorsed jazz singer's bid for pop-crossover success, but Spalding's music is still a hard sell. Contemporary jazz remains a fairly small niche market, and Spalding, whose musical influences include both hip-hop and traditional blues, may be better equipped than most of her peers to appeal to the masses--or, at the very least, the coffeehouse demo...
- www.slantmagazine.com
2012-03-26
★★★★★
It's a rare thing for someone to start a music review by giving a little love to a musician's label. However, if I may be allowed to deviate from review etiquette, I'd like give a shout out to Heads Up Records. This comes after listening to Radio Music Society, Esperanza Spalding's new project. The Cleveland based company has been putting out some pretty solid jazz and jazz infused soul for a while...
- www.soultracks.com
2012-03-22
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