Brandee Younger – Brand New Life

Brandee Younger's Brand New Life is a bold and heartfelt tribute to pioneering jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby. Across ten tracks, Younger breathes new life into five of Ashby’s compositions, adding her own originals and drawing in contemporary influences like hip‑hop beats, reggae grooves, and soulful vocals. Produced by Makaya McCraven and featuring contributions from Meshell Ndegeocello, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, and Mumu Fresh, the album transcends traditional genre boundaries—melding classical, jazz, funk, and R&B into a cohesive, modern tapestry that honors Ashby while asserting Younger's unique artistic vision.

Critics highlighted Younger's exceptional harp technique and fearless genre-blending. Pitchfork lauded it as “a record that scans as adult‑contemporary hip‑hop (in a good way!)” and praised her harp’s “vocal quality” in cross‑generational dialogue between jazz and hip‑hop. All About Jazz noted that “Younger serenades splendidly on the harp,” blending hip‑hop, classical, funk, and jazz into a “beautiful, meditative love song” on tracks like “You’re A Girl For One Man Only.” German magazine HHV Mag remarked that on this album, Younger “mixes the styles even more confidently and successfully” and that “her brilliance lies in her elegant restraint.”

Reviews

“Brand New Life is Younger's tribute to Ashby's achievements.” – Pitchfork

“Younger serenades splendidly on the harp.” – All About Jazz

“Brand New Life brilliantly mixes R&B and hip‑hop influences into the mix.” – Presto Music

“Younger mixes the styles even more confidently and successfully.” – HHV Mag

“Her brilliance lies in her elegant restraint.” – HHV Mag