Description
Philip Bailey – Love Will Find A Way – Double Vinyl Record
Philip Bailey’s Love Will Find a Way is a studio album released on June 21, 2019, through Verve/Concord Records. Best known as the soaring falsetto voice of Earth, Wind & Fire, Bailey takes a bold and modern step here, blending jazz, Afrobeat, R&B, and world music into a vibrant project that feels both contemporary and timeless. Unlike his earlier solo work, which leaned toward gospel, soul, or smooth R&B, this album places Bailey squarely in the middle of the modern jazz conversation, while still carrying the spiritual warmth and uplifting qualities that have defined his career.
Love Will Find a Way is a fusion-heavy journey that thrives on collaboration. Bailey surrounds himself with a stellar lineup of younger, forward-thinking jazz and crossover artists: Kamasi Washington, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, Casey Benjamin, and Derrick Hodge, among others. Their presence roots the album in the sound of 21st-century jazz—expansive, adventurous, and infused with groove—while Bailey’s unmistakable falsetto brings continuity with his Earth, Wind & Fire legacy. The project was co-produced by Bailey and Robert Glasper, whose influence is felt in the lush keyboard textures, hip-hop sensibility, and free-flowing improvisation woven throughout.
The album opens with “Billy Jack”, a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s socially conscious classic. Bailey’s interpretation is urgent and relevant, his voice floating over sharp horn arrangements and tight grooves, bridging the political soul of the 1970s with today’s jazz revival. That balance between homage and reinvention is a recurring theme. On “Stairway to the Stars,” Bailey strips things down into an intimate vocal showcase, demonstrating that his falsetto—soft yet piercing—remains pristine decades after his Earth, Wind & Fire peak. Another highlight is “Once in a Lifetime”, which infuses Afrobeat rhythms with a cosmic sheen, thanks to Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s trumpet and Glasper’s piano layers.
One of the album’s most compelling moments comes with “Love Will Find a Way”, the title track and centerpiece, where Esperanza Spalding joins Bailey in a delicate yet powerful duet. Their voices intertwine gracefully, embodying both resilience and hope. It’s spiritual and ethereal, echoing Bailey’s lifelong themes of positivity and transcendence. Elsewhere, Kamasi Washington’s saxophone contributions add firepower, especially on the reimagining of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “You’re Everything”, connecting Bailey’s past to his present collaborators in an almost ceremonial passing of the torch.
The album emphasizes hope, love, and unity, consistent with Bailey’s legacy as both a solo artist and a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Yet the musical framework—layered rhythms, genre-blurring improvisation, and adventurous instrumentation—plants it firmly in the realm of progressive jazz and Black American Music. Bailey doesn’t just rely on nostalgia; he actively participates in the modern dialogue of where jazz and soul can go.
Love Will Find a Way was very well received. Reviewers praised it for its balance of Bailey’s classic vocal style with the fresh energy of his collaborators. The album was celebrated for bridging generations: an iconic voice of the 1970s working seamlessly with some of the most vital jazz and soul musicians of the 2010s. It even won Best Jazz Album at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards, underscoring its cultural and artistic impact.
In the broader arc of Philip Bailey’s career, Love Will Find a Way is remarkable because it doesn’t rest on past glory. Instead, it reinvents his artistry in dialogue with a younger generation, reaffirming his place not only as a legend of soul and R&B but as an enduring, evolving force in Black music. For listeners who love the spirituality of Earth, Wind & Fire but want to hear it refracted through modern jazz and global influences, this album is a deeply rewarding listen.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Billy Jack
You’re Everything
We’re A Winner
Stairway To The Stars
Brooklyn Blues
Once In A Lifetime
Just To Keep You Satisfied
Sacred Sounds
Long As You’re Living
Love Will Find A Way
