Trav'lin' Light is the sixth studio album by American actress and hip-hop artist Queen Latifah. It was released through Verve Records on September 25, 2007.
Background Following The Dana Owens Album released in 2004, this is Latifah's second singing album containing cover versions of jazz standards. The album spent three weeks atop the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
The album cut "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die" won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), which was presented to its arranger, John Clayton. Trav'lin' Light was also nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
The album's first song and subsequently first single, "Poetry Man" is a cover of Phoebe Snow's song of the same name.
Critical reception
William Ruhlman of AllMusic claimed "Trav'lin' Light is, if anything, even better than that Grammy-nominated set, The Dana Owens Album. In song after song, she has come up with a character to portray through the lyrics, and that helps make her interpretations convincing. Sometimes, it is the songwriters themselves she seems to be channeling...however, it is the singer herself who deserves the credit for making the album work. As with her acting, Queen Latifah's singing is most laudable for not trying to do too much; she may evoke James or Nina Simone or Holiday (or Smokey Robinson or the Pointer Sisters), but she never tries to outsing them; rather, her versions are glosses on the greats she and her producers so admire." Entertainment Weeklys Chris Willman review was less favorable, stating "between 2004's The Dana Owens Album and her run as a movie-musical diva, the 'Hey, that rapper lady can sing!' novelty has worn off. We now wonder if Latifah can succeed Diana Krall—or Rod Stewart!—as our leading pop-standards standard-bearer. Taste prevails, but personality must be left to the hundred more interesting jazz singers out there." Thomas Conrad of JazzTimes proclaimed that "the title is a bit ironic. For this 13-track collection, a follow-up to Latifah’s 2004 The Dana Owens Album, she’s carrying a lot of baggage. There’s also the weight of history. Can a politicized rapper turned Oscar-nominated actress be taken seriously when she makes a mid-career segue into soul-infused jazz singing? Truth is, as velvet-smooth journeys into the pop-jazz canon go, Trav'lin' Light is an estimable exercise in showmanship, shaped by a well-seasoned pro who, though perhaps lacking the daring of a Cassandra Wilson or Diana Krall, is deserving of respectful attention. Sure, her cover of 10cc's 'I'm Not in Love' is a little too Diana Ross, and, yes, her reading of Smokey Robinson's 'What Love Has Joined Together' ventures nary an inch from its carefully choreographed Motown roots. But those are the exceptions here, not the rule." Billboards Chuck Taylor called it "a marvelous sonic achievement, recorded with such satiny care and class that it seems a crime that anyone might belittle the listening experience with an MP3 player or computer."
Track listing
Notes "Every Woman Is a Queen" is featured in Latifah's CoverGirl commercials.
Credits Adapted from AllMusic.
Alex Al — bass Sachico Asano — graphic design Julie Baker — hair stylist Rick Baptist — trumpet Wayne Bergeron — flugelhorn, trumpet Gary Bias — flute, saxophone Charlie Bisharat — violin George Bohanon — trombone Jacqueline Brand — violin Becky Bunnell — violin Lee Callet — clarinet, saxophone Mark Cargill — violin Anthony Caruso — assistant engineer, digital editing Gilbert Castellanos — trumpet Oscar Castro-Neves — guitar Ronald Clark — violin Jeff Clayton — saxophone John Clayton — arranger, conductor Shakim Compere — executive producer Luis Conte — percussion Larry Corbett — cello Jim Cox — keyboards Manny Curtis — composer Jill Dell'Abate — production coordination Brian Dembow — viola Yvette Devereaux — violin Andrew Duckles — viola George Duke — fender rhodes, piano Bruce Dukov — violin Mike Eleopoulos — engineer, mixing Stephen Erdody — cello Chris Ermacoff — cello Ron Fair — producer Keith Fiddmont — saxophone Roxanna Floy — make-up James Ford III — trumpet Matthew Funes — viola Steve Genewick — digital editing, engineer Julie Gigante — violin Graham Gouldman — composer John Goux — guitar Gary Grant — flugelhorn, trumpet Bernie Grundman — mastering Alan Grunfeld — violin Larry Hall — flugelhorn, trumpet Jeff Hamilton — drums Lisa Hansen — release coordinator Niki Haris — background vocals Donny Hathaway — composer Nate Hertweck — mixing assistant Tal Herzberg — digital editing, engineer Jerry Hey — arranger, conductor Dan Higgins — flute, saxophone Buffy Hubelbank — production coordination Bill Hughes — orchestra manager Leroy Hutson — composer Alex Iles — trombone Paul Jackson Jr. — guitar Antônio Carlos Jobim — composer Suzie Katayama — cello Ryan Kennedy — mixing assistant Peter Kent — violin Walter Kent — composer Hollis King — art direction Ron King — trumpet Abe Laboriel Jr. — drums Abraham Laboriel Sr. — bass Michael Landau — guitar Songa Lee — violin Gene Lees — composer Natalie Leggett — violin Mario de León — violin Gayle Levant — harp Phillip Levy — violin Tommy LiPuma — producer Monica Lynch — A&R, executive producer Shawn Mann — viola Andrew Martin — trombone Greg Mathieson — keyboards, organ Christian McBride — bass Darrin McCann — viola Joe McEwen — A&R Johnny Mercer — composer Jonathan Merritt — assistant engineer Victoria Miskolczy — viola Cameron Mizell — release coordinator Peter Mokran — mixing Evelyn Morgan — A&R Susan Moses — stylist, wardrobe Jimmy Mundy — composer John Newcott — release coordinator Robin Olson — violin Charlie Owens — saxophone Sid Page — violin Sara Parkins — violin Alan Pasqua — keyboards Joel Peskin — flute, saxophone Valerie Pinkston — background vocals Anita Pointer — composer June Pointer — composer Patricia Pointer — composer Ruth Pointer — composer Katia Popov — violin Jack Joseph Puig — mixing Queen Latifah — lead vocals Bill Reichenbach Jr. — trombone, tuba Antonio Resendiz — assistant engineer Kevin Ricard — percussion Ramon Rivas — assistant engineer Smokey Robinson — composer Robert Rogers — composer Anatoly Rosinsky — violin Jim Ross — viola David Rubinson — composer Joe Sample — piano Doug Sax — mastering Bill Schluger — composer Al Schmitt — engineer, mixing Stéphane Sednaoui — photography Marc Shaiman — composer, producer Allen Sides — engineer Nina Simone — composer Bill Airey Smith — engineer Dan Tobin Smith — cello Maurice Spears — trombone Eric Stewart — composer Shari Sutcliffe — music contractor, project coordinator Toots Thielemans — harmonica Michael Thompson — photography Sarah Thornblade — violin Cecilia Tsan — cello Stella Unger — composer Lamont Van Hook — background vocals Josefina Vergara — violin Tommy Vicari — mixing Irina Voloshina — violin Eric Weaver — mixing assistant Fred White — background vocals Anthony Wilson — guitar Evan Wilson — viola Scott Wittman — composer Stevie Wonder — harmonica, lead vocals Reggie C. Young — trombone Trummy Young — composer
Weekly charts Chart (2007) Peakposition
Release history CountryDateLabelUnited StatesSeptember 25, 2007VerveCanadaAustraliaSeptember 29, 2007GermanyOctober 19, 2007UniversalJapanOctober 30, 2007United KingdomNovember 5, 2007Verve
References