New Music Critiques: Brenda Russell

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Contact: [email protected] 

Web: brendarussellofficial.com

Seeking: Booking, Film/TV

Style: R&B, Soul, Singer-Songwriter

Soulstress and acclaimed songwriter Brenda Russell’s “What Will It Take” is a new “We Are The World,” a proclamation and plea for peace, a message that bears repeating and being repurposed for every generation. Russell’s rich lead vocals command the background singers and children’s choir, backed by hand percussion and tribal flute flourishes. The song, and arrangement especially, sounds dated, as if it could share a release date with the 1985 Michael Jackson song for Africa. However, the sincerity is welcome when it comes to songs for unity. A forthcoming solo album will make for a great capstone.