New York-based saxophonist and vocalist Braxton Cook is here to free you from all restrictive, negative thought on his latest single and the title track of his upcoming album “No Doubt,” premiering exclusively on Billboard today (Oct. 25).
“For years, I’ve let fear and doubt get the better of me when confronted with obstacles…as a result, you can have a very safe and mild experience that’s been warped by others’ opinions of you.” Cook tells Billboard. “This song serves as a reminder to myself that you can’t fully live this way.”
Fittingly, the song gives the impression of shaking yourself loose in compelling fashion. With a disorderly crash of percussion, the song tumbles into a lively groove that continually reaches for new heights with idyllic vocal harmonies and a dreamy keyboard glittering the production.
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The new track features a more subdued vocal performance from Cook than its soulful predecessor “When You Hold Me,” which leaves space for the multi-instrumentalist and Juilliard graduate to experiment with his jazz roots. Cook weaves through the fray with the nimble force of his saxophone while trading licks with electric guitarist Andrew Renfroe and expanding his repertoire by adding a flute to the mix.
Cook fits comfortably with contemporaries like trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and English musician and producer Tom Misch — both of which Cook has shared the stage — who are ushering in a new phase of jazz music by questioning its confines in the age of streaming, but “No Doubt” brings him closer to solidifying his own movement that he dubs “Future Jazz Soul.”
“For me, this has been year of tremendous personal growth; I’ve gotten engaged this year, I’ve started my first business and I’ve left my former record label to be a completely independent artist. It’s both extremely exciting and extremely daunting.” Cook admits. “However, I’ve realized that if you want to be truly fulfilled in life than you can’t play things too safe. At some point you have to jump in and go for whatever it is you want in life…without fear and without doubt.”
“Right or wrong you’re always learning something. That’s what it means to live and to be a musician, and to be an artist,” he adds.
“No Doubt” will be available everywhere tomorrow (Oct. 26), while his album of the same name is set to be released on Nov. 2. He will also be performing on Nov. 1 in New York as support for Misch’s Geography tour before heading out on several European dates to round out the year. Additional tour information can be found here.
Get a first listen of “No Doubt” below.