Radio Music Society

Radio Music Society is the fourth studio album by Esperanza Spalding, which was released through the record label Heads Up International on March 20, 2012.[2][3][4][5] The album earned Spalding Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the track, "City of Roses".

Radio Music Society
Studio album by
Esperanza Spalding
ReleasedMarch 20, 2012
RecordedSummer 2011
GenreContemporary jazz
Length57:54 [1]
LabelHeads Up International
ProducerQ-Tip (exec.), Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding chronology
Chamber Music Society
(2010)		 Radio Music Society
(2012)		 Emily's D+Evolution
(2016)
Singles from Radio Music Society
  1. "Black Gold"
    Released: February 1, 2012
  2. "Radio Song"
    Released: March 26, 2012

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.2/10[6]
Metacritic(74/100)[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[8]
Allmusic[9]
The Austin Chronicle[10]
Blurt Magazine [11]
Entertainment WeeklyB[12]
The Guardian[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Slant[15]
The Telegraph[16]
The Times[17]

Radio Music Society was well received by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[7] John Bungey of The Times noted the album's "journey through soul, gospel, balladry and big-band swing", and complimented Spalding's "light, airy voice".[17] He wrote in conclusion: "For those who have hitherto found her considerable abilities easier to admire than enjoy, this is the most convincing display yet".[17] A review in the monthly Kulturspiegel extra of the German Spiegel magazine noted that the poppy arrangements of the songs might help the album to become successful beyond the jazz genre.[5] Jeff Artist of Okayplayer wrote "With her new companion LP, Radio Music Society, the young virtuoso branches out sonically, injecting her jazz roots with some modern soul and pop juice, maybe even inspiring the Bieber faithful to check in on what all the fuss is about... At just 11 tracks, this record flexes serious range, but what’s even more impressive is that it rarely sounds overextended".[18]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Radio Music Society became Spalding's first Top 10 album. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and number one on the Top Jazz Albums chart with first week sales of 25,000 copies.[19] The album has sold 135,000 copies in the US as of January 2016.[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Esperanza Spalding except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Radio Song" 6:32
2."Cinnamon Tree" 5:36
3."Crowned & Kissed"
4:35
4."Land of the Free" 1:54
5."Black Gold" (featuring Algebra Blessett & Lionel Loueke) 5:17
6."I Can't Help It" (featuring Joe Lovano)
4:42
7."Hold On Me" 3:40
8."Vague Suspicions" 5:51
9."Endangered Species" (featuring Lalah Hathaway)
6:38
10."Let Her" 4:21
11."City of Roses" 4:35
12."Smile Like That" 4:18
Total length:57:52
Japanese only bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Jazz Ain't Nothin but Soul" (featuring Joe Lovano)Norman Mapp3:37

Personnel

Production
  • Esperanza Spalding: producer
  • Q-Tip: executive producer, co-producer (3, 11)
  • Dave Love: associate executive producer
  • Terri Lyne Carrington: additional production
  • Dan Hallas: local production
  • Zulema Mejias: local production

Musicians
  • Esperanza Spalding: vocals, electric and acoustic bass
  • Leo Genovese: piano, Rhodes electric piano, keyboards (1–3, 6, 8–12), guembri (9)
  • Daniel Blake: saxophones, flute (1–3, 8–10)
  • Darren Barrett: trumpet (1–3, 9, 10, 12)
  • Jeff Galindo: trombone (1, 3, 8, 10, 12)
  • Terri Lyne Carrington: drums (1–3, 5, 9, 11)
  • Gretchen Parlato: background vocals, spoken word (1, 6, 10)
  • Becca Stevens, Justin Brown: background vocals (1, 6)
  • Alan Hampton, Chris Turner: background vocals (1)
  • Jamie Haddad: percussion (1)
  • Jef Lee Johnson: guitar (2, 9)
  • Olivia Deprado: violin (2)
  • Jody Redhage: cello (2)
  • James Weidman: organ (4)
  • Algebra Blessett: vocals (5)
  • Savannah Children's Choir: choral voices (5)
  • Lionel Loueke: guitar, voice (5)
  • Raymond Angry: organ (5)
  • Tivon Penicott:tenor saxophone(5)
  • Igmar Thomas, Corey King: trumpet (5)
  • Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone (6, 13)
  • Ricardo Vogt: guitar (6, 8, 10)
  • Lyndon Rochelle: drums (6)
  • Janice Scroggins: piano (7)
  • Billy Hart: drums (7)
  • Jack DeJohnette: drums (8, 10, 12)
  • Lalah Hathaway: vocals (9)
  • Raydar Ellis: spoken word, sounds (10)
  • Leni Stern: background vocals (10)
  • Anthony Diamond: saxophone (11)
  • Q-Tip: vocals, glockenspiel (11)
  • Gilad Hekselman: guitar (12)
  • American Music Program big band (1, 7, 11)
arranged and conducted by Thara Memory
  • Kama Bell: clarinet
  • Renato Caranto, John Carey, Andrew Olsen, Sam Seacrest, Kyle Zimmerman: alto saxophone
  • Hayden Conrad, Nicole Glover, Aaron Reihs, Adam Reihs: tenor saxophone
  • Stanley Matabane: tenor and alto saxophone
  • Jeff Rathbone: baritone saxophone
  • Kiran Bosely, Noah Conrad, Noah Hocker, Benjamin C. McDonald, Tree Palmedo, Benjamin Seacrest: trumpet
  • Stan Bock, Dan Brewster, Ian Garner, Javier Nero, Ashton Summers, Matt Warming: trombone
  • Jerry Stalnaker: bass trombone

Chart performance

Album
Chart (2012) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 59
French Albums (SNEP)[22] 54
Japanese Albums Chart[23] 39
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] 33
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[25] 40
Swedish Jazz Albums[26] 4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 75
US Billboard 200[28] 10
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[29] 1
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[30] 4
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[31] 9

Singles
Year Single Chart Peak position[32]
2012 "Black Gold" Top Jazz Songs #20
2012 "Black Gold" Japan Hot 100 #21
2012 "I Can't Help It" Top Jazz Songs #26

References
  1. https://www.amazon.de/Radio-Music-Society-Digital-Booklet/dp/B007G6K9AM/ref=mb_oe_o
  2. Esperanza Spalding to Release ‘Radio Music Society’ on March 20
  3. Esperanza Spalding to Record 'Radio Music Society' Album in May
  4. Esperanza Spalding Releasing New Album - Radio Music Society
  5. Hielscher, Hans (2012). "Esperanza Spalding: 'Radio Music Society'". Kulturspiegel (in German) (4): 36.
  6. "Radio Music Society by Esperanza Spalding reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  7. "Radio Music Society- Esperanza Spalding". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  8. Turner, Mark F. (March 31, 2012). "Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society". All About Jazz. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. Jurek, Thom. "Radio Music Society". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  10. HAUPT, MELANIE (October 12, 2012). "Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society (Concord)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  11. Toland, Michael (28 March 2012). "Esperanza Spalding". Blurt Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  12. WOOD, MIKAEL (March 20, 2012). "Radio Music Society review - Esperanza Spalding". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  13. Fordham, John (5 April 2012). "Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  14. Hermes, Will (20 March 2012). "Radio Music Society". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  15. KEEFE, JONATHAN (19 March 2012). "Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  16. Brown, Helen (16 March 2012). "Esperanza Spalding, Radio Music Society, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  17. Bungey, John (March 31, 2012). "Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society". The Times. London: Times Newspapers Limited. Arts section. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  18. Artist, Jeff (2012). "Esperanza Spalding". Okayplayer. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  19. Grein, Paul. "Week Ending March 25, 2012. Albums: Appetite For "Hunger"". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  20. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  22. "Lescharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  23. http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2012-04-02/more/5/
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  25. "Spanishcharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  26. http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  28. "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  29. "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  30. "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  31. "Esperanza Spalding Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  32. Billboard chart history
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