''Medicine Music'' is a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

, released in 1990. The album reached number 146 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 2 on the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The album was nominated for a 1991

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, in the "Best Contemporary Jazz Performance" category.

Production

Voicestra, a 10-member a capella group formed by McFerrin, and

Robert McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Sr. (March 19, 1921 – November 24, 2006) was an American operatic baritone and the first African-American man to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His voice was described by critic Albert Goldberg in the '' ...

, Bobby's father, appear on the album. "Common Threads" served as the theme song to the documentary '' Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt''. McFerrin wrote all of the songs on ''Medicine Music''. The lyrics to "Discipline" are based on several verses of the chapter Hebrews 12 from the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

, while the lyrics to "The 23rd Psalm" are based on

Psalm 23 Psalm 23 is the 23rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The Lord is my shepherd". In Latin, it is known by the incipit, "". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a boo ...

from the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

Critical reception

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' wrote that "McFerrin sings splendidly, his intonation never faltering as he goes from throbbing bass notes to a soaring, light falsetto." The ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

'' wrote that "McFerrin's penchant for unusual vocal innovation is present throughout the album, but it is the songs without words, nominally called instrumentals in the McFerrin musical universe, that are the most challenging."

Track listing

All music and lyrics composed by Bobby McFerrin; ©ProbNoblem Music/BMI - except "The 23rd Psalm" (Music: Bobby McFerrin/English text arranged by Bobby McFerrin; ©ProbNoblem Music/BMI)

References

1990 albums 1990 soundtrack albums Bobby McFerrin albums EMI Records albums EMI Records soundtracks {{1990s-album-stub