We Are (Jon Batiste album)
2021 studio album by Jon Batiste
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We Are (stylized in all caps) is the sixth studio album by Jon Batiste. It was released on Verve Records on March 19, 2021.[5] In April 2022, We Are won Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards; it earned Batiste nine nominations in total, with five wins.[6]
| We Are | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 19, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:01 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer |
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| Jon Batiste chronology | ||||
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| Singles from We Are | ||||
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Following the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, We Are reached its peak at number 25 on the US Billboard 200 with 18,000 album equivalent units.[7]
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 murder of George Floyd and killing of Breonna Taylor.[5][8]
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.[9]
As part of Record Store Day 2020, Batiste released a limited edition EP titled We Are: Roots & Traditions.[10]
The album also features Mavis Staples, Zadie Smith, PJ Morton, and Trombone Shorty.[11][5]
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".[5]
Batiste released a deluxe edition of the album on October 15, 2021.[12]
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Album of the Year | We Are | Won | [13] |
| Best R&B Album | Nominated | |||
| Record of the Year | "Freedom" | Nominated | ||
| Best Music Video | Won | |||
| Best Traditional R&B Performance | "I Need You" | Nominated | ||
| Best American Roots Performance | "Cry" | Won | ||
| Best American Roots Song | Won | |||
| Best Contemporary Classical Composition | Batiste: Movement 11' | Nominated |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jon Batiste, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Are" (featuring St. Augustine High School Marching 100, David Gauthier, Gospel Soul Children, Craig Adams, Braedon Gautier, Brennan Gautier, Autumn Rowe) |
| 4:24 |
| 2. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:21 | |
| 3. | "Cry" |
| 3:57 |
| 4. | "I Need You" |
| 2:37 |
| 5. | "Whatchutalkinbout" | 2:21 | |
| 6. | "Boy Hood" (featuring PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty) |
| 4:26 |
| 7. | "Movement 11'" | 2:01 | |
| 8. | "Adulthood" (featuring Hot 8 Brass Band) | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Mavis" | Mavis Staples | 0:20 |
| 10. | "Freedom" |
| 2:58 |
| 11. | "Show Me the Way" (featuring Zadie Smith) | 3:40 | |
| 12. | "Sing" |
| 3:07 |
| 13. | "Until" | 1:03 | |
| Total length: | 37:56 | ||
All tracks are written by Jon Batiste, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Need You" |
| 2:35 |
| 2. | "Freedom" |
| 2:57 |
| 3. | "Cry" |
| 3:55 |
| 4. | "Boy Hood" (featuring PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty) |
| 4:25 |
| 5. | "Sing" (featuring Tori Kelly) |
| 3:11 |
| 6. | "We Are" (featuring St. Augustine High School Marching 100, David Gauthier, Gospel Soul Children, Craig Adams, Braedon Gautier, Brennan Gautier, Autumn Rowe) |
| 4:24 |
| 7. | "Tell the Truth" | 3:22 | |
| 8. | "Adulthood" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid) | 3:43 | |
| 9. | "Whatchutalkinbout" | 2:19 | |
| 10. | "Mavis" | Staples | |
| 11. | "Freedom" (Big Freedia Remix) |
| 2:52 |
| 12. | "Tell the Truth" (Uptown Remix - featuring Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the Mardi Gras Indian Show, Michael Batiste) | 3:15 | |
| 13. | "Movement 11'" | 2:01 | |
| 14. | "Work It Out" | 3:04 | |
| 15. | "Adulthood" (featuring Hot 8 Brass Band) | 3:42 | |
| 16. | "Show Me the Way" (featuring Zadie Smith) | 3:40 | |
| 17. | "Sing" |
| 3:09 |
| 18. | "We Are" (Montmartre Remix - featuring Abi Bernadoth) | 3:19 | |
| 19. | "Until" | 1:04 | |
| Total length: | 57:27 | ||
Personnel
Musicians
- Jon Batiste – vocals, piano, upright piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, keyboards, organ, barrel organ, clavinet, Mellotron, 8-bit sound, Kawai synthesizer, synth strings, guitar, alto saxophone, bass, Moog bass, synth bass, drums, drum machine, drum programming, cowbell, tambourine, bongos, theremin, production, arrangement
- Craig Adams – conductor, organ
- David Gauthier – vocals
- Braedon Gautier – vocals
- Brennan Gautier – vocals
- Gospel Soul Children – vocals
- Tori Kelly – vocals
- David Pimentel – drums, producer, recording
- Autumn Rowe – composer, vocals
- Nate Smith – drums
- St. Augustine High School Marching 100 – brass band
- Cory Wong – guitar
- Sam Yahel – organ
- Mavis Staples – spoken word
- Zadie Smith – vocals
- PJ Morton – vocals
- Trombone Shorty – trombone
- Robert Randolph – pedal steel guitar[14]
- Steve Jordan – drums[14]
- Steve McEwan – acoustic guitar, composer[14]
- Endea Owens – double bass[15]
- Jahaan Sweet – composer
- Michelle Ross – violinist
- Louis Cato – guitar[16]
- Joe Saylor – tambourine[16]
- Emily King – vocals[17]
- Roberta Freeman – vocals[18]
- Carol Hatchett – vocals[19]
- Zach Cooper – composer
- Vic Dimotsis – composer
- Eric Frederic – composer
- Sunny Levine – composer
- Hot 8 Brass Band – brass band
- Nick Waterhouse - producer, guitar[20]
Technical
- Russell Elevado – recording
- Misha Kachkachishvili – recording
- Kizzo – composer, producer, recording
- Emerson Mancini – mastering engineer
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
- Marc Whitmore – recording, mixing
- Alex Williams – recording
- Karla Cordova – album art
- Suleika Jaouad – photography
- Quincy Jones – liner notes
- Ricky Reed – mixing
- Ryan Lynn – co-executive producer
- Ken Oriole - recording
- John Muller – engineering
- Gavin Paddock - engineering, mix engineering[20]
- David Andersen - second engineer[20]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2021–2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Jazz and Blues Albums (ARIA)[21] | 1 |
| Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[22] | 5 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] | 35 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 191 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 175 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[26] | 81 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[27] | 61 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] | 66 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[29] | 92 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 39 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[31] | 25 |
| US Billboard 200[32] | 25 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[33] | 14 |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[34] | 9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2021) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Jazz and Blues Albums (ARIA)[35] | 28 |