Beautiful Life

Four-time GRAMMY® winner Dianne Reeves returns with her first album in five years, featuring two superb new songs—“Cold” and “Satiated (Been Waiting)”—along with covers of Marvin Gaye (“I Want You”), Bob Marley (“Waiting in Vain”), Fleetwood Mac (“Dreams”), and Harold Arlen’s timeless classic “Stormy Weather.” Producer Terri Lynne Carrington keeps the sounds and arrangements true to Reeves’ stature, with classy, tasteful, and natural being words that spring to mind. An all-star cast makes musical appearances, from Esperanza Spalding, Sheila E., Gregory Porter, Lalah Hathaway, and Raul Midon to Robert Glasper, Sean Jones, Gerald Clayton, and Reeves’ late cousin and longtime collaborator George Duke, who was attending several of his final sessions. Ani DiFranco’s “32 Flavors” receives a funky, mildly hip-hop vibe. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” here sounds like it was written for Reeves. Spalding’s “Wild Rose” flows between jazz and R&B with a sophisticated adult-contemporary touch. Tineke Postma’s soprano saxophone guides the way for “Stormy Weather,” where Reeves lets her flawless phrasing take the song to the heavens. Timeless and spectacular.