Braxton Cook’s Not Everyone Can Go feels like the kind of record born from a period of readjustment where letting go makes room for something new, deeper, and warmer. Across the 14 tracks on the album, packed with great features, Braxton blends his jazz lineage as a saxophonist with soul-soaked storytelling and inspiration influenced by the people who helped him shape the release.
In our interview with Braxton from earlier this year, the award-winning, Juilliard-trained singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist elaborates, “So this album is meant to really chronicle this season of life that I’m in. It’s by no means a sad album though - it’s a project that captures the grief of letting go but also celebrates the joys of rediscovering love, fun, joy, and new relationships.”
A reflection of becoming a father earlier this year, the album feels like a brave venture into other genres and a watermark of Braxton’s evolution as an artist, creating beyond jazz and exploring the beauty of soul and r&b music.
I had the pleasure of soaking into the universe of Not Everyone Can Go, and to me, what really makes the record click is how naturally that personal evolution translates into the music. The album's collaborative, free-flowing nature allows Braxton to move between jazz, r&b, soul, gospel, and more experimental territory without ever feeling like he's chasing a specific algo-driven mission. Along with the collaborators on the record, you can hear Marie Dahlstrom and Elijah Fox - two artists we adore on Stereofox.
The overarching warmth of the arrangements makes even its more introspective moments feel hopeful.
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Such a gorgeous album!
