We are

"While universal in tone, We Are is beautifully inspired by Batiste's life growing up in New Orleans. The record opens with the title track, a passionate, gospel-accented anthem featuring the St. Augustine Marching Band from his high school ... Using the best of the past to build toward a better tomorrow is a stirring notion that pervades the album, both musically and thematically. He draws upon the vigorous grooves of New Orleans funk pioneers the Meters with "Tell the Truth" and crafts a buoyant, psychedelic-soul vibe with the help of author Zadie Smith on "Show Me the Way" ... Batiste's genre-mashing reinforces the album's theme of intergenerational wisdom, and it's also wonderfully fun".

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"We Are is a stellar album that connects a rich level of tradition and modernity together proving Batiste is as steeped in classic gospel, soul, jazz, and funk as he is the pop and hip-hop of the last two decades. Furthermore, We Are is ties together a level of simplicity with sublime technical genius, making it a record that should be admired equally for its musicianship and intricate songwriting as for its ability to seemingly fit in with the contemporary music of today".

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"Pianist and vocalist Jon Batiste's guest-heavy album We Are engages with current social and political issues while also exuberantly shuffling the pack of African-American music, grafting barrelhouse piano onto Motown, rap onto jazzy R&B, funk onto gospel and generally reminding us that all musical development is a continuum, not a series of compartments".

""Epic" has become an empty cliché, but its classical meaning - a sweeping poem containing history - applies nicely to multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jon Batiste's new album, We Are. Declaring personal and social affirmation across Saturday night frolics and Sunday morning prayers, it serves as a welcome vaccination against the virus of despair. Though its reach sometimes exceeds its grasp, it is inspiring and often heartbreakingly beautiful".