One of the most compelling releases from the last month of 2023 and ushering a new year is unquestionably the digital single with a powerful universal message from one of contemporary music’s most distinguished singer/songwriters. Brenda Russell’s credits as a composer and hitmaker in her own right are a testament to her longevity and tenure: she gained initial popularity as a solo artist with her 1979 self-titled debut set for Horizon/A&M Records which, decades later, is considered a classic with tunes including “So Good, So Right,” “In The Thick Of It,” “Way Back When,” “God Bless You,” “A Little Bit Of Love” and “If Only For One Night,” all songs from the album that have been covered or sampled by an array of diverse artists from Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Ariana Grande to Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and Big Pun.
With a luminous career that has included the Grammy-nominated global hit, “Piano In The Dark” and the now-timeless-standard “Get Here,” Brenda’s most recent activities have included co-writing the score for the Broadway musical, “The Color Purple” with Stephen Bray and Allee Willis which won a Grammy in 2016 (“Best Musical Theatre Album”) also heard in the December 2023 Oprah Winfrey-produced movie version of the hit musical.
Extracted from a length December conversation with Soul Music.com’s David Nathan (who did his first interview with Brenda in 1979!), the prolific multi-talented Ms. Russell shares about “What Will It Take,” her first new recording in a number of years.
With exceptional lyrics and a wonderful accompanying video, the song “What Will It Take” reflects Brenda’s approach to life and her work: “I am a citizen of the world and believe in peace and love to all people. That is what I write about and what I sing about. It’s the motivating force behind everything I do and the way I live. I want my music to bring people together.”
Special thanks: Brenda Russell, Irina Wilsino, Jamal Speakes, Tom Estey and John Hughes
