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Here Because of Hope

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Here Because of Hope
Three black children, wearing suits and flat caps, sit and stand against a concrete backdrop. One covers their eyes, one their ears, and one their mouth.
Studio album by
Ezra Collective
Released11 September 2026 (2026-09-11)
Studios
Length63:20
LabelPartisan
ProducerEzra Collective
Ezra Collective chronology
Dance, No One's Watching
(2024) 		Here Because of Hope
(2026)
Singles from Here Because of Hope
  1. "Only Love"
    Released: 28 May 2026
  2. "Well Organised"
    Released: 7 July 2026
  3. "Jubilee Feeling"
    Released: 25 August 2026

Here Because of Hope is the fourth studio album by the London jazz quintet Ezra Collective, released on 11 September 2026 by Partisan Records.

Background and release

[edit]

Here Because of Hope is the band's follow-up to their 2024 album Dance, No One's Watching. It was announced on 28 May for an initial release date of 18 September, with the album's first single, "Only Love", released on the same day and featured British-Gambian rapper Pa Salieu.[1] Two further singles followed: the Caribbean-inspired "Well Organised", which featured Jamaican singer Lila Iké and released on 7 July, and "Jubilee Feeling", which released on 25 August and was influenced by contemporary British music.[2][3] Alongside Salieu and Iké, the album features guest vocals by Leona Lewis and Libianca, as well as spoken word by actor Letitia Wright.[4]

The band described the album as more mature and adult than their previous work, built around the progression from pain and despair to joy.[5] Drummer and band leader Femi Koleoso stated:

"...hope also captures the belief that on the other side of pain there can be renewal. There's joy after mourning. Beauty from the ashes. Even when you don't know how or when things will change, there can still be something inside you that believes your feet will eventually land on solid ground. So on one side, you have pain; on the other, there will be joy. And hope is a marker on that spectrum that brings you from one end to the other; it makes you feel like getting to joy might be possible."[6]

The album's journey from despair to joy is reflected in its three-act structure and its geographical selection of genre influences, born from the band's observation that much of Black music was very upbeat, despite its frequently tragic origins. As such, the album moves from Africa, to the Caribbean, culminating in the UK and their home city of London, incorporating elements of each location's genres, including afrobeat, calypso, grime, latin jazz, and reggae.[5][7][8]

The album released on 11 September and debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, surpassing Dance, No One's Watching's record of 7th; the band are the first UK jazz group to achieve this.[9][10][11]

Reception

[edit]
Here Because of Hope ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[13]
Clash9/10[14]
DIYStarStarStarStarHalf star[9]
Financial TimesStarStarStarStar[15]
MusicOMHStarStarStarStar[16]

For Flood Magazine, Tom Morgan described the album as "extremely easy-to-love" and "a heartfelt marvel", especially praising the guest vocals of Libianca and Leona Lewis.[17] Ben Broyd of Clash rated the album 9/10, writing that the album was the band's "most ambitious and emotionally expansive project to date", and that it "offers feelings of calm, clarity and purpose, while further cementing Ezra Collective as one of the music scene’s most innovative and creative forces".[14]

Writing in the Financial Times, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney stated that the "music throughout is cogently presented and bursting with life, at once methodical and uplifting," and gave the album a 4/5.[15] Also awarding a 4/5, John Murphy in MusicOMH wrote that the album "shows off Ezra Collective’s exuberant and more reflective sides, providing not only a proud history of Black music but also a demonstration that, in these hands, it’s still very much in the rudest of health."[16]

Track listing

[edit]

All music is composed by Femi Koleoso, Ife Ogunjobi, James Mollison, Joe Armon-Jones, and TJ Koleoso (Ezra Collective).[18]

Here Because of Hope track listing
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Part 1" (read by Letitia Wright)
  • Femi Koleoso
  • Letitia Wright
0:45
2."Blow Your Trumpet" 4:20
3."Sweet Echo" 5:16
4."Don't Worry" 3:45
5."Only Love" (featuring Pa Salieu)Pa Salieu3:22
6."Someday" 5:47
7."Part 2" (read by Letitia Wright)
  • F. Koleoso
  • TJ Koleoso
0:35
8."Birdie Sings" 4:13
9."The Last Stand" 3:51
10."Well Organised" (featuring Lila Iké)
3:32
11."El Corazón" 4:06
12."Bunny on the Rise" 4:22
13."Part 3" (read by Letitia Wright)
  • F. Koleoso
  • Wright
0:47
14."All I Need" (featuring Leona Lewis)Leona Lewis4:31
15."Jubilee Feeling" 4:15
16."Black Flag" 4:22
17."Most High" (featuring Libianca)Libianca5:21
Total length:1:03:20

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[19]

Ezra Collective

[edit]
  • Femi Koleoso – drums, production
  • TJ Koleoso – bass, production, photography
  • Joe Armon-Jones – keyboards, production
  • James Mollison – saxophone, production
  • Ife Ogunjobi – trumpet, production; programming (tracks 5, 10)

Additional contributors

[edit]
  • Riley MacIntyre – engineering (all tracks), programming (2)
  • Freddie Light – additional engineering
  • Riley Spencer – studio assistance
  • Niamh O'Sullivan – studio assistance
  • Kevin O'Reilly – studio assistance
  • Daniela Sicillia – studio assistance
  • Annie Gasiorowski – studio assistance
  • Nia Clarke – studio assistance
  • Jules Bonnet – studio assistance
  • Paul Guiramion – studio assistance
  • Giacomo Vianello – studio assistance
  • David Wrench – mixing
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering
  • Letitia Wright – reading (1, 7, 13)
  • Lotus Warmington-Armon-Jones – heartbeat (2)
  • Tobi Adenaike – guitar (3–6, 8, 9, 12, 15, 17)
  • Matt Roberts – trumpet (3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15)
  • Kaidi Akinnibi – alto saxophone (3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15)
  • Jermaine Amissah – baritone saxophone (3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15)
  • Harry Brown – trombone (3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15)
  • Oli Savill – percussion (3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 17), congas (10)
  • Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion (3, 8, 9, 15, 17)
  • Joyful Koleoso – percussion (4)
  • Shiloh Koleoso – percussion (4)
  • Pa Salieu – vocals (5)
  • Luke Farnell – engineering (5)
  • Lila Iké – vocals (10)
  • Kinetika Bloco – steelpans (10)
  • Leona Lewis – vocals (14)
  • TJ Carter – drum programming (15)
  • Sunshine Koleoso – heartbeat (15)
  • Libianca – vocals (17)
  • Ebeneza Blanche – photography

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Here Because of Hope
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australian Jazz & Blues Albums (ARIA Charts)[20] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 47
French Jazz Albums (SNEP)[22] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 78
Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[24] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 61
UK Albums (Official Charts)[26] 1
UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[27] 1
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[28] 6

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Mickles, Kiana (28 May 2026). "Ezra Collective Shares New Song, Details New Album and Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  2. ^ Sandiford, Kayla (7 July 2026). "Ezra Collective team up with Lila Iké on new single, "Well Organised"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  3. ^ Sandiford, Kayla (25 August 2026). "Ezra Collective share new instrumental track, "Jubilee Feeling"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  4. ^ Sandiford, Kayla (28 May 2026). "Letitia Wright, Pa Salieu, and more to feature on new Ezra Collective album, Here Because of Hope". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  5. ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (2 September 2026). "Ezra Collective are here because of hope". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  6. ^ Koleoso, Femi (6 September 2026). "'On the other side of pain there can be renewal': Ezra Collective's Femi Koleoso on reasons to hold on to hope". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  7. ^ Empire, Kitty (17 September 2026). "Ezra Collective's temple of joy". The Observer. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  8. ^ Clarke, Patrick (17 September 2026). "Ezra Collective: Hope Factory". DIY. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  9. ^ a b Taylor, Chris (11 September 2026). "Ezra Collective - Here Because Of Hope". DIY. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  10. ^ Clare Welsh, April (23 September 2026). "Ezra Collective make history as first UK jazz group to score a No. 1 album". DJ Mag. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  11. ^ Smith, Thomas (18 September 2026). "Ezra Collective Secure First U.K. No. 1 Album With 'Here Because of Hope'". Billboard. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  12. ^ "Here Because of Hope by Ezra Collective reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  13. ^ Jurek, Thom. "Ezra Collective – Here Because of Hope". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  14. ^ a b Broyd, Ben (11 September 2026). "Ezra Collective – Here Because Of Hope". Clash. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  15. ^ a b Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (17 September 2026). "Ezra Collective's Here Because of Hope is uplifting and full of life — album review". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  16. ^ a b Murphy, John (23 September 2026). "Ezra Collective - Here Because Of Hope – Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  17. ^ Morgan, Tom (10 September 2026). "Ezra Collective, "Here Because of Hope"". FLOOD. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  18. ^ "Here Because of Hope / Ezra Collective / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 30 September 2026.
  19. ^ Here Because of Hope (Media notes). Ezra Collective. Partisan Records. 11 September 2026. PTSN3071.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Jazz & Blues Albums Chart (Week of 21 September 2026)". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ezra Collective – Here Because of Hope" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  22. ^ "Top Albums Jazz (Semaine du 18 septembre 2026)" (in French). Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ezra Collective – Here Because of Hope" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 25/9/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ezra Collective – Here Because of Hope". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 25/9/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  27. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 25/9/2026 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  28. ^ "Ezra Collective Chart History (Top Contemporary Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 September 2026.