Al Jarreau - Tomorrow Today

What does it mean to offer a 49-minute, 34-second disc for only eleven tracks? Tomorrow Today, released on GRP in 1999, poses this challenge with rare economy. This studio album fits into a trajectory where Al Jarreau's maturity asserts itself between his previous work, Heaven and Earth (1992), and his next, All I Got (2002). The break from his live release, Tenderness (1994), marks a return to pure studio work, away from relative dates or blurred timelines. It immediately reached No. 2 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart, a tangible achievement that extends a career rich with six Grammy Awards won in three distinct categories: jazz, R&B, and pop.

Artistic consolidation under the direction of Hollis King

Tomorrow Today does not simply follow a precedent; it consolidates an established position. Al Jarreau navigates between the references of a glorious past like We Got By (1975), Glow (1976), or This Time (1980) without ever betraying his own evolution. This is an approach where the artistic direction, here provided by Hollis King, serves the musical content rather than artificially sublimating it.

Vanessa Williams in God's Gift to the World

Although the album is modest in terms of collaborations, it does feature the presence of one confirmed artist that changes the scale of the project: Vanessa Williams on God's Gift to the World. This track 9 is the only song on the album to explicitly include a featured artist. The presence of a major artist of such stature on a single track of the studio album introduces a rare vocal contrast, a complementarity that did not result in an overload of collaborations. This one-time collaboration, far from being a standard or a writing rule for the artist, serves here to anchor the album in a specific vein, bringing a distinct energy without altering the overall coherence of Tomorrow Today.

The three pillars: Just To Be Loved Tomorrow Today and Puddit

The narrative structure of the album is defined by three pivotal tracks that frame and traverse the listening experience. The album opens with Just To Be Loved, track 1, which immediately sets the tone with a bold vocal flourish. At the heart of the album, the title track Tomorrow Today (track 5) embodies the central theme of the album, co-produced by Al Jarreau. The conclusion of the sonic journey is provided by Puddit (Put It Where You Want It), the last track, offering a smooth resolution to this 49-minute journey. These three anchor points, distributed between the introduction, the heart, and the end of the album, constitute the major axes of a linear reading that respects the official tracklist numbering.

Summary: a No. 2 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart

The technical production behind this economy of scale bears witness to a complex sound architecture orchestrated by Paul Brown as lead producer on nine of the eleven tracks. The logistical coordination was handled by Lexy Shroyer and Maria Eastmond, while the artistic direction entrusted to Hollis King served to elevate the musical content without excessive artifice. The critical mastering was carried out by Stephen Marcussen at A&M Mastering Studios in Hollywood, California, with digital contributions from Andrew Garver and Pro Tools tools used by Tim Heintz and Martin Christenson for digital editing. The main recording took place under the direction of Bill Schnee on the majority of the tracks, complemented by Dave Rideau on track 2 and Barry J. Eastmond on the tenth track. The mixing was divided among several renowned engineers, including Ray Bardani for tracks 1 and 11, Al Schmitt on track 7, and Bill Schnee again on tracks 3, 4, and 6. This technical distribution ensures overall sonic coherence throughout the 49 minutes and 34 seconds of listening. Track 5 also benefited from the co-production of Al Jarreau himself, with Freddie Ravel and David "Kahlid" Woods on track 3, and Steve Dubin on track 8. Barry J. Eastmond also contributed to the recording of the tenth track, under the direction of "Bassy" Bob Brockmann for the specific mixing of that track. This album, with its restrained proportions, stands out for its ability to maintain a tension between technique and emotion. The mastering by Stephen Marcussen at A&M Mastering Studios ensures a clarity that highlights the varied contributions of the sound engineers, such as Bill Schnee, Ray Bardani, or Al Schmitt, without turning the chronicle into a detailed production sheet. The diversity of contributors to the mixing, whose technical input is spread across several tracks, guarantees sonic coherence throughout the entire listening experience. 2 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart validates an artistic approach where each track, including the one featuring Vanessa Williams, is of equal importance.

Technical details

- Release date : 1999 - Label : GRP - Tracks : 11 (49 min 34 s) - Opening / closing : Just To Be Loved / Puddit (Put It Where You Want It) - Guests : Vanessa Williams - Previous project : Tenderness (live, 1994) - Previous studio album : Heaven and Earth (1992)