Braxton Cook is one of the most versatile musicians of our time, defying genre and logging a head-spinning list of collaborators and credits (including Taylor Swift, Jon Batiste, Giveon, Masego, and more). He’s toured the world multiple times over – including a Blue Note Tokyo debut in 2024 – earned an Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award nomination, and has made six appearances on NPR’s famed Tiny Desk Concert.When the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Braxton Cook first started working on the album that would become Not Everyone Can Go, his life was going through a number of transitions that he just couldn’t ignore. Last year, Cook spent lots of time on the road — in Europe and Asia, along with two United States tours. “I was just very busy, and trying to juggle that with family, it was a lot to manage,” Cook said. In a moment of self-reflection, he looked back on the past year, noticed a theme emerging, and came to this conclusion: It was OK to let go of things that weren’t serving him any longer. Transitions were natural as he stepped into fatherhood. “It was only pushing me more in that direction of understanding,” he continued. “There’s grief that comes along with having to let certain things go to make time for the things I truly value.”One can hear Cook breaking through on Not Everyone Can Go, a mix of jazz and R&B that feels indebted to similar hybrids of yesteryear. Musically, the album conjures images of bright evening sunshine, when the temperature begins to cool. Not quite Quiet Storm, instead, Not Everyone Can Go dabbles between the margins, which won’t surprise those who’ve followed Cook to this point. Across albums like Somewhere In Between, No Doubt, and Who Are You When No One Is Watching?, he’s made a career of blurring the lines between genres, landing on a sound that isn’t one thing, in particular. While that’s made his music tough to pin down, that also makes it all the more intriguing. That you can’t label it just R&B or just jazz lends to the music’s attraction.Ultimately, Not Everyone Can Go is about embracing change, that when seasons arrive where moves are inevitable, you have to lean into them. “This particular record is a reminder to myself and others to take stock in what it is you have and be grateful for the breath in your lungs. It’s like, Man, I’m alive. I got up today. I have two beautiful kids. And, it’s going to be alright.”For Fans Of: Robert Glasper, Theo Croker, Keyon Harrold, Butcher Brown, Kiefer