Art & Survival
| Art & Survival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Vocal jazz | |||
| Label | EMI[1] | |||
| Producer | Eddie del Barrio, Terri Lyne Carrington | |||
| Dianne Reeves chronology | ||||
| ||||
Art & Survival is an album by the American vocal jazz singer Dianne Reeves, released in 1994.[2][3]
The album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.[4] It has sold more than 500,000 copies.[5] Sheryl Lee Ralph sang part of "Endangered Species" during her 2022 Emmy Awards acceptance speech.[6]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Eddie del Barrio and Terri Lyne Carrington.[7] Reeves cowrote more than half the songs on Art & Survival.[8] Due to industry and personal issues, she went into the recording studio knowing that Art & Survival could be her final album.[9]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Robert Christgau |  [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| The Indianapolis Star |  [8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [13] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | [7] |
| USA Today | [14] |
The Los Angeles Times thought that "this multitextured experiment, with its frequent spiritual-based stories, is Reeves' most ambitious effort."[13] The Washington Post wrote: "By far her most personal and soul-searching recording, the album seems as much therapy as a musical expression for the gifted singer."[15] The Philadelphia Daily News said that, "in an incantational style sometimes reminiscent of Leon Thomas and Roberta Flack, the singer/composer evokes ancient spirits and the freeing powers of the Lord, explaining how she's come through the wringer a changed woman."[16]
Newsday deemed the album "a song cycle about self-discovery."[17] Essence called it an "album of powerfully rendered, personal yet universal compositions that run the rhythmic gamut from hard-swinging jazz to plaintive ballads to a cappella African chants."[18] USA Today wrote that "Body and Soul" is "a scat-driven, Afro-Cuban tour de force."[14]
AllMusic considered the album "neither '90s revisited bop nor overtly commercial Quiet Storm fodder ... [Reeves] is really seeking a middle ground between her two audiences."[10]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Old Souls" | 5:20 |
| 2. | "Come to the River" | 5:36 |
| 3. | "One More Time" | 5:37 |
| 4. | "Anthem" | 5:26 |
| 5. | "Freedom Dance" | 6:55 |
| 6. | "Endangered Species" | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Josa Lee" | 6:54 |
| 8. | "Body and Soul" | 10:06 |
| 9. | "Silent Tears and Roses" | 6:49 |
| 10. | "Lament for a Lonely Child" | 6:48 |
| 11. | "Bird Alone" | 6:46 |
References
[edit]- ^ Norment, Lynn (Apr 1994). "Sounding Off". Ebony. Vol. 49, no. 6. p. 16.
- ^ George, Nelson (Aug 1994). "Music — Art & Survival by Dianne Reeves". Playboy. Vol. 41, no. 8. p. 24.
- ^ Rogers, Charles E. (23 Apr 1994). "Dianne Reeves' 'Art & Survival'". New York Amsterdam News. p. 22.
- ^ "Dianne Reeves". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ "Dianne Reeves to Headline First Regent Theatre MLK Concert Event". New Pittsburgh Courier. No. 101. 24 Dec 1994. p. B4.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (13 Sep 2022). "The Emmys". Los Angeles Times. p. E2.
- ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 477.
- ^ a b Ford, Lynn Dean (25 July 1994). "Record Reviews". The Indianapolis Star. p. C5.
- ^ Summers, Juana (Sep 13, 2022). "Jazz icon Dianne Reeves 'lost her breath' as Sheryl Lee Ralph sang her song at Emmys". All Things Considered. NPR.
- ^ a b "Art & Survival". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ "Dianne Reeves". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 830.
- ^ a b "Reeves Scores with an Ambitious Effort". Los Angeles Times. April 22, 1994. Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
- ^ a b Jones IV, James T. (6 June 1994). "Summer of singers: Jazz albums play up the pipes". USA Today. p. 4D.
- ^ "Reeve's 'Survival' a Soulful Journey". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathan (29 Apr 1994). "Art and Survival Dianne Reeves". Features Yo!. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 46.
- ^ "New This Week". Newsday. 18 Apr 1994. p. B2.
- ^ Chambers, Gordon (Jun 1994). "Dianne Reeves: Songs of healing". Essence. Vol. 25, no. 2. p. 48.
