New York, NY (Top40 Charts) It�s been a �remarkable path to jazz� (NPR) for Ren� Marie. As a fearless force in the contemporary jazz world, Ren� has never been afraid to look into the more challenging places of human experience where love and contentment give way to discord and struggle. Today she has released her new record Sound of Red, via Mot�ma.
Tastemaker Jazz station WBGO recently premiered the album writing, �In the years of this millennium, some extraordinary singers have come along. We can hear in them Ella or
Sarah or Nat or Billie, and some of them we already know by one name. Cat. Cyrille. Gregory. Cecile. Sound of Red is a new album from ... Ren�."
The record is a musical statement that, according to Ren�, �attempts to cover the spectrum of human emotion.� The album�s 11 songs � most of them autobiographical � provide glimpses of the many small but profound turning points that are a part of an individual�s life.
She explains, �I wanted to make a record that people could go back to again and again to excavate their emotions,� says Ren�. �We cover things over every day. We have to in order to move through the day and move through our lives. We can�t always afford to be vulnerable to things like pain, loss, confusion, hurt and frustration. I want this record to provide some kind of architecture to provide support in those moments when our emotions are not necessarily happy ones.�
The album features two-thirds of her longstanding trio � bassist
Elias Bailey and co-producer, drummer Quentin Baxter, both of whom have been a part of her backup crew for fifteen years, with newcomer pianist John Chin. Ren� summoned special guests for final polishing, like saxophonist Sherman Irby who delivers a bold solo on its title track. Trumpeter Etienne Charles is another guest of honor who performed on and arranged the horn sections � Michael Dease on trombone and
Diego Rivera on tenor saxophone � for �If You Were Mine,� and the endorphin-lifting tune �Joy of Jazz.� The rich and sensual �Certaldo,� dedicated to the Italian town of the same name, gets its sensibility from guest guitarist
Romero Lubambo.
Compassion and despair fuel �This Is (Not) a Protest Song,� a song tackling the plight of homelessness that affected her family as a young girl. �We were homeless for a few months. It was an experience that you don�t forget after you�re through it,� said Ren�. Her tumultuous past coupled with a wealth of perspective on life�s highs and lows inform these songs that dig deep into the hearts of a broad audience. �I wrote these songs to create a safe place for people to tune in to their emotions and perhaps deal with them in a way that they might not be able to do otherwise.�
Sound of Red is now available for purchase via iTunes.
�[Ren� Marie�s] delivery is so honest, so personable, so intimate [�] that it is impossible to resist her charms. Her vocal agility, pitch-perfect musical sensibility, collaborative spirit and charisma give her the ability to deliver a tune like no one else.�
-Adam Parker, Arts & Culture Writer, The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)
