Maps of Music

Trav'lin' Light (2007)

Where the lyrics of Trav'lin' Light take you, and where it was really made.

A hip-hop artist's sixth studio album turned out to be a set of jazz standards, and one of its tracks went on to win a 2008 Grammy.

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Trav'lin' Light: sixth studio album by American actress and hip-hop artist Queen Latifah
Released through Verve Records on 25 September 2007
Covers of jazz standards, a follow-up to The Dana Owens Album (2004)
Second singing album by Latifah built around cover versions of jazz standards
Italian edition notes: Verve distributed the album for the markets of the United States, Europe and Russia

Follows The Dana Owens Album, released in 2004
Opening track and first single: Poetry Man, a cover of Phoebe Snow's song of the same name
Track credits list Tommy LiPuma and Ron Fair as composers of the songs
Latifah's career at this point spans acting and hip-hop, and this album extends her move into jazz singing
The album reached the top of the jazz chart, which set it apart from her earlier rap work
The album was built on the same approach as her previous jazz-standards record

1	Poetry Man	4:40
2	Georgia Rose	3:44
3	Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars	3:54
4	Don’t Cry Baby	2:54
5	I Love Being Here With You	2:53
6	I’m Gonna Live Till I Die	2:10
7	Trav’lin’ Light	4:06
8	I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl	3:06
9	I’m Not in Love	4:48
10	What Love Has Joined Together	3:41
11	How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)	5:42
12	Gone Away	5:51
13	I Know Where I’ve Been	4:14

Born Dana Elaine Owens on March 18, 1970 in Newark, New Jersey; grew up mainly in East Orange, New Jersey.
Started as a beatboxer and rapper for the Flavor Unit crew; signed to Tommy Boy Records and released debut album All Hail the Queen in 1989 at age 19.
Black Reign (1993) became the first album by a solo female rapper certified Gold by the RIAA; its single "U.N.I.T.Y." won a Grammy Award.
Order in the Court (1998) was released through Motown Records; later albums include The Dana Owens Album (2004), Trav'lin' Light (2007), and Persona (2009).
Performed at Super Bowl XXXII halftime show as the first rapper to do so.
Starred on the Fox sitcom Living Single (1993–1998) and hosted The Queen Latifah Show (1999–2001, 2013–2015).
Earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Chicago (2002), and a Primetime Emmy Award for the HBO film Bessie (2015).
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006, becoming the first hip-hop artist to do so.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026.

William Ruhlman of AllMusic: said the album is even better than the Grammy-nominated The Dana Owens Album
Ruhlman praised Latifah for building a character in each song and for not trying to outsing the singers she admires
Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman: less favorable, saying the novelty of a rapper who can sing had worn off
JazzTimes' Thomas Conrad: called the album an estimable exercise in showmanship, with some covers falling short
Billboard's Chuck Taylor: called it a marvelous sonic achievement

Spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart
Grammy 2008: the album cut I'm Gonna Live Till I Die won Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), presented to arranger John Clayton
Grammy nomination: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
France: number one on Top Jazz Albums, sixth on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, 11th on Billboard 200, 24th on Top Internet Albums

The opening track and first single, Poetry Man, is a cover of Phoebe Snow's song of the same name.
Every Woman Is a Queen is featured in Latifah's CoverGirl commercials.
The Italian track list includes Georgia Rose, a song featuring Stevie Wonder.