Esperanza (Esperanza Spalding album)

2008 studio album by Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza

Studio album by

Esperanza Spalding

Released| May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20)
Recorded| 2007
Studio| Wellspring Sound (Acton, Massachusetts) & Big Time Audio (Jonesborough, Tennessee)
Length| 67:36[1]
Language|

* English
* Portuguese
* Spanish

Label| Heads Up
Producer| Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding chronology
| Junjo
(2006)  | Esperanza
(2008)  | Chamber Music Society
(2010)

|
|

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]

Professional ratingsReview 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]

1. ^ Esperanza at Amazon.
2. ^ Allmusic review on Esperanza
3. ^ Ernest Barteldes, "Esperanza Spalding" Archived 2015-02-05 at the Wayback Machine, New Times (Broward Palm Beach), August 14, 2008.
4. ^ a b Winbush, Jeff. "Esperanza Spalding: Esperanza album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
5. ^ a b Allmusic review
6. ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Esperanza Spalding". Tom Hull. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ Chinen, Nate (July 2008). "Revolutions". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
9. ^ All Music Guide review of Chamber Music Society
10. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Esperanza". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
11. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Esperanza". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
12. ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
13. ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
14. ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
15. ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
16. ^ "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.

* v
* t
* e

Esperanza Spalding

Studio albums|

* Junjo
* Esperanza
* Chamber Music Society
* Radio Music Society
* Emily's D+Evolution
* Exposure
* 12 Little Spells
* Songwrights Apothecary Lab
* Milton + esperanza

Live albums|

* Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival
* Alive at the Village Vanguard

Related articles|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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