has never drawn distinctions between the richness of the past and the possibilities of the future. As a harpist rooted in the lineage of Black music, she draws particular inspiration from , a pioneer on the instrument who bridged modern jazz and classical music, plus the soul and R&B of her time. Roughly half a century later, Younger is chasing the same ideal — never more persuasively than on Brand New Life, her second album for Impulse, due out on April 7.
Executive produced by , and recorded at his studio in Chicago, the album features an array of guest contributors: producers and , vocalists and . But it also finds moments for Younger to shine alone, and in the company of a few close partners. The opening track, "You're a Girl for One Man Only," places her harp alongside ' vibraphone, Rashaan Carter's bass and McCraven's drums, creating a rhythmic pull like a slow-moving undercurrent.
Dorothy Ashby composed "You're a Girl for One Man Only" for an original musical called The Choice, which she and her husband, John Ashby, created for their own theater company in Detroit. The story of a single pregnant girl growing up in a Black housing project, it made a clear political statement when it was staged in 1967 — ending just weeks before the racial uprising that captured the world's attention. But the song itself is an harbor, especially as Younger interprets its drifting theme: a gentle stir of arpeggios, supporting a melody that unfolds as a dream.
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