Written by Ally Miller-Henson. Image courtesy of Abby Chadwick.
During the 2022 Grammys, one name stood out among the rest. Jon Batiste walked away with five awards in total: Album of the Year, Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, Best Music Video, and Best Score Soundtrack Album for Visual Media. After witnessing Batiste’s win for Album of the Year, I was curious about his 2021 album which had won the title and whether it was deserved. For those like me who had never heard his work, here is my first impression of “We Are”:
The album’s namesake, “We Are,” introduces the listener to the album by centering its focus on black excellence and joy despite constant injustice. This sets the rest of the album up to follow Batiste’s experience as a black, Nola-born man. The album takes inspiration from New Orleans-style jazz as an homage to his hometown. The individual songs are brilliantly composed, featuring accompaniments of the trumpet, string bass and choirs. His song “Boyhood” comments on his childhood experience and progresses to fear of growing up and leaving his hometown. Other songs like “Cry“and “Sing” express a sense of hopelessness for solving injustice and how Jon Batiste copes with it. I found the collection rich in culture and education on the black experience as someone who has not experienced such. I enjoyed this album so much, in fact, I wish I could write further on my personal impression of each song. In the least, I can tell you that a majority of this album was added to my playlists. I absolutely believe this album deserves its Grammy win. For those who enjoy R&B and are looking to explore Jazz (or vice versa), I implore you to listen to this album.
