We Are (Jon Batiste album)

We Are (stylized in all caps) is the eighth studio album by American musician Jon Batiste. It was released on Verve Records on March 19, 2021.[1] In November 2021, the album was nominated for the Album of the Year category at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[2] The album earned Batiste eight nominations in total.[3]

We Are
Studio album by
Jon Batiste
ReleasedMarch 19, 2021 (2021-03-19)
Recorded2019–2020
Length37:56
LabelVerve
Producer
  • Jon Batiste
  • Kizzo
  • David Pimentel
Jon Batiste chronology
Meditations
(2020)		 We Are
(2021)
Singles from We Are
  1. "We Are"
    Released: June 12, 2020
  2. "I Need You"
    Released: January 22, 2021
  3. "Cry"
    Released: February 12, 2021

Background

Batiste began working on the album in late 2019, making it in his dressing room over six days in September and finishing it by mid-2020. While largely written and recorded prior to the events of 2020, the album's lyrical and thematic content reflects such events as the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and his involvement in 2020, leading Black Lives Matter protests in New York after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.[1][4][5]

On June 12, 2020, he released the single "We Are", featuring the band from his New Orleans alma mater, the St. Augustine High School Marching 100.[6]

The album also features Mavis Staples, Zadie Smith, PJ Morton, and Trombone Shorty.[7][1]

Speaking to Atwood Magazine, Batiste described We Are as "a representation of genreless music that's just about the story" and "a culmination of my life to this point."[1]

Batiste released a deluxe edition of the album on October 15, 2021.[8]

Track listing
We Are track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Are"
4:24
2."Tell the Truth" 3:21
3."Cry"
3:57
4."I Need You"
  • Batiste
  • Rowe
2:37
5."Whatchutalkinbout" 2:21
6."Boy Hood"
4:26
7."Movement 11'" 2:01
8."Adulthood" 3:41
9."Mavis"Mavis Staples0:20
10."Freedom"
  • Batiste
  • Rowe
  • Andrae Alexander
2:58
11."Show Me the Way" 3:40
12."Sing"
3:07
13."Until" 1:03
Total length:37:56

All tracks are written by Jon Batiste, except where noted.

We Are (The Deluxe Edition) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Need You"
  • Batiste
  • Rowe
2:35
2."Freedom"
  • Batiste
  • Rowe
  • Alexander
2:57
3."Cry"
  • Batiste
  • McEwan
3:55
4."Boy Hood"
  • Andrews
  • Batiste
  • Levine
  • Morton
  • Sweet
4:25
5."Sing (feat. Tori Kelly)"
  • Batiste
  • Cooper
  • Dimotsis
  • Frederic
  • Rowe
3:11
6."We Are"
  • Batiste
  • Rowe
  • Kizzo
4:24
7."Tell the Truth" 3:22
8."Adulthood (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid and Hot 8 Brass Band)" 3:43
9."Whatchutalkinbout" 2:19
10."Mavis"Staples 
11."Freedom (Big Freedia Remix)"
  • Batiste
  • Rowe
  • Alexander
2:52
12."Tell the Truth (Uptown Remix)" 3:15
13."Movement 11'" 2:01
14."Work It Out" 3:04
15."Adulthood (feat. Hot 8 Brass Band)" 3:42
16."Show Me the Way (feat. Zadie Smith)" 3:40
17."Sing"
  • Batiste
  • Cooper
  • Dimotsis
  • Frederic
  • Rowe
3:09
18."We Are (Montmartre Remix)" 3:19
19."Until" 1:04
Total length:57:27

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[9]

Musicians

Technical

Charts
Chart performance for We Are
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 175
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 61
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 72
US Billboard 200[17] 86
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 47

References
  1. "Interview: Jon Batiste Dives into His Inspiring, Genreless New Album We Are'". Atwood Magazine. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. Cohn, Gabe (November 23, 2021). "Grammy Awards 2022: The Full List of Nominees". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  3. Ben, Sisario (November 23, 2021). "Jon Batiste and Young Chart-Toppers Lead 2022 Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. Hughes, Hilary (March 19, 2021). "Jon Batiste riffs on the moment with We Are". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  5. Bennett, Jessica (March 14, 2021). "Jon Batiste talks Grammys and keeping social justice alive on new album". Page Six. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  6. Smith, Sophie (June 12, 2020). "Hear Jon Batiste's Anthemic New Single, 'We Are'". U Discover Music. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  7. Ginsberg, Gab (March 12, 2021). "Jon Batiste on New Album 'We Are,' Grammys and Oscars Prospects: It's 'Beyond My Wildest Dreams'". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  8. "WE ARE DELUXE CD". JonBatisteStore. October 11, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  9. "We Are [Single] - Jon Batiste | Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  10. "Jon Batiste Shares 'Cry' Single". JamBase.
  11. "I Need You - Jon Batiste | Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. "Show Me the Way - Jon Batiste, Zadie Smith | Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  13. "Cry - Jon Batiste | Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Jon Batiste – We Are" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  15. "Top Albums (Week 23, 2021)". SNEP. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – Jon Batiste – We Are". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  17. "Jon Batiste Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  18. "Jon Batiste Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.