Music Interview

Jon Batiste – ‘World Music Radio’ review: hitmaker’s soul-jazz odyssey

August 18, 2023

Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jon Batiste didn’t have to reinvent his sonic wheel for his latest album, ‘World Music Radio’, but he did. The Louisiana native has been releasing albums since his 2005 debut, ‘Times In New Orleans’, making dents at the top of US Jazz charts along the way. He also spent seven years as music director and bandleader of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ending his celebrated tenure in 2022. That same year, his album ‘We Are’ which blended hip-hop, jazz and pop under uplifting lyrics highlighting the impact of Black culture picked up five Grammys, including the coveted Album Of The Year award. So why didn’t he head back into the studio, set to compose more of the same? The answer was inspired by something out of this world.

As the Louisiana native recently told NME, the title ‘World Music Radio’ refers to a “radio frequency, broadcast across the universe and beyond”. It came from an idea that piqued his interest, a news article about a super-transmission discovered in space. “No one knew where it came from or what it was broadcasting,” Batiste said. “It’s different to any other transmission that’s ever been discovered.” The album plays out cinematically, with a main character DJ guiding listeners through each song and collaborators taking on the role of other actors in the film.

The expedition takes 21 tracks to complete, opening with a quick intro as a DJ called “Billy Bob Bo Bob” tells listeners they’re about to take an aural journey around the world. The first stop is ‘Raindance’ which features South African duo Native Soul and starts with a slow bubbling bass line before bursting into full bliss, with Batiste begging, “Give me love for the life of me” over Afropop textures and sparkling walls of sound. It’s a perfect example of his ability to not only play by the rules of the pop handbook but swerve into imaginative territory.

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The fidgety ‘Drink Water’ features singer Jon Bellion, rapper Fireboy DML, and optimistic lyrics about taking a deep breath a top spiralling dance beats. But a direct pop song that dips into reggaeton beats isn’t enough for Batiste in this instance, so towards the end of the track, he enlists a choir to reinforce the repetitive request “take me to the river”, and it drives the cathartic mantra home.

‘World Music Radio’’s approach to universal music also means tapping a wide range of collaborators from multiple genres and locals. Fellow New Orleans native, rapper Lil Wayne, saxophonist Kenny G, Colombian singer Camilo and K-pop sensation NewJeans all take their moment at the mic. The album is an ambitious feat in sound and scope but brisk featureless tracks like the synth-laden and soulful ‘Calling Your Name’ or the rare stripped-back piano ballad ‘Butterfly’ make the jaunt fly by.

The journey ends with ‘Life Lesson’, as Batiste advises “Don’t second guess yourself” over crisp piano keys, right before frequent collaborator Lana Del Rey‘s vocals add a warm layer and a degree of gravitas to the song as she muses, “You’re happy until you’re not/ You’re icy until hot”, their words coming as the strings crawl upward before falling away placing the duo’s vocals on full display. The track is a sprawling and heartbreaking retelling of the predestined demise of a relationship with key arrangements that go rogue before the lyrics land on a final “Amen”.

In Batiste’s own words, “World culture and popular culture have become synonymous with each other”. ‘World Music Radio’ is the sonic manifestation of that belief, an expansive ode to human ingenuity and the boundless ability of music to foster connection.

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