"Esperanza" CD

Released 5/20/2008   Esperanza's opening track, "Ponta De Areia" nods to one of the many places she comes from musically. The track, with its languid, nursery rhyme-like melody and beautifully understated instrumental accompaniment, gently opens the listener to an aural experience that's quite unlike anything else out there. Spalding sings in three languages here -- English, Spanish, and Portuguese -- she plays bass, does the arranging, and acts as her own producer on this wildly diverse and exceptionally well-executed set. How does a 23-year-old get all that control? Simple: she's a prodigy; she is a seasoned session player (she's worked with Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, and Patti Austin to name just three), and she's a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music. - Thom Jurek (AllMusic.com) Tracklist: 1. Ponta De Areia 5:40 2. I Know You Know 3:46 3. Fall In 3:57 4. I Adore You 7:27 5. Cuerpo Y Alma (Body & Soul) 8:02 6. She Got To You 4:28 7. Precious 4:24 8. Me