Risa Branch

Within the life of vocalist Risa Branch, her sophomore album I Thought About You signifies a meaningful turning point. The Dallas, Texas-native started singing as a youth in gospel choirs before beginning a series of eclectic musical expressions from new age to R&B. But no matter what style the singer performed, the vintage timbres of her voice would remind listeners of historic eras of jazz mastery and divas Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, prompting requests that she sing jazz. After launching a successful crowdfunding campaign to record a classic jazz album, Risa finally prepared to join the jazz idiom with sincerity, authenticity and sophistication. Mixing original arrangements with standards and interpretations of varying styles within the jazz and blues veins, I Thought About You welcomes listeners into the comfort, vibrancy and ingenuity of a musical space that is both timeless and contemporary. I Thought About You is a binational achievement; it bears the markers of Vancouver, Canada, where the album was recorded, as well as New York City, where it was completed (and where Risa now resides), and it features contributions from accomplished Canadian saxophonist, producer and jazz impresario Cory Weeds, as well as 12-time Grammy Award winning American mixing engineer Jay Newland. Remarkably inspired by a tradition of jazz and blues music to which she surely belongs, it is clear, within minutes of hearing I Thought About You, that musically, Risa Branch is home.