Radio Music Society
Last year, the immensely talented multi-instrumentalist was the first jazz musician to win a GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist—just another feat in a slew of amazing accomplishments, including teaching herself how to play violin by age 5, dropping out of high school from sheer ennui, then earning a B.M. from Berklee College of Music by 20. Despite the high expectations that come with such achievement, *Radio Music Society* delivers, displaying the versatility of her musicianship and vision, such as the soliloquy to spice “Cinnamon Tree” with its Joe Satriani-esque guitar flourishes and the artfully arranged cover of MJ’s “I Can’t Help It,” on which she collaborates with jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano. Every song on the deluxe version of *Radio Music Society* has a corresponding video.
Esperanza Spalding's fourth album, Radio Music Society (a companion piece to Chamber Music Society in name only) is one of enormous ambition -- polished production, sophisticated, busy charts, and classy songwriting -- that consciously juxtaposes neo-soul and adult-oriented jazz-tinged pop.
<strong>Dave Gelly </strong>admires an artful collage of pop, funk, soul and jazz by a multi-talented young musician
Radio Music Society makes it clear that Spalding’s a fine, intuitive singer and a natural bandleader.
This ambitious new album is predominantly poppy, but it took a musician with a very broad view to make it, writes <strong>John Fordham</strong>
Killer hooks, head-nodding grooves and unexpected byways make this her best yet. CD review by Peter Quinn