The concept album of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis' new musical Warriors dropped October 18 via Atlantic Records, and the reviews are in! See what critics are saying below.
The album, adapted from the 1979 cult favorite film The Warriors, features a starry cast of stage favorites and music world icons. The titular Warriors, newly all-female in this musical version, are Jasmine Cephas Jones as Swan, Julia K Harriman as Mercy, Gizel Jiménez as Rembrandt, Amber Gray as Ajax, Aneesa Folds as Cleon, Sasha Hutchings as Cowgirl, Kenita Miller as Cochise, and Phillipa Soo as Fox.
Grammy Award winner Nas is executive producing the concept album, with Mike Elizondo producing.
Read the reviews below.
*This review may require creating a free account or a paid subscription.
Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The cast also includes eight-time Grammy-winning rapper Ms. Lauryn Hill as Cyrus of The Gramercy Riffs; Busta Rhymes as The Voice of Brooklyn; Stephen Sanchez as Cal, Joshua Henry as Wanya, Timothy Hughes as Lance, and Daniel Jikal as Joon, collectively the Bizzies; Shenseea as DJ Lynne Pen; Kim Dracula and Alex Boniello as Rogues members Luther and Cropsy, respectively; Nas as Queens; Colman Domingo as Masai of the Gramercy Riffs; Cam'ron as Manhttan; original film stars James Remar and David Patrick Kelly as The Cops; Billy Porter as Grander, Michaela Jaé as Yaya, and Mykal Kilgore as Élan, all members of NYC street gang The Hurricanes; Utkarsh Ambudkar as Sully and Casey Likes as Jesse, both part of rival gang The Orphans; rap artists Ghostface Killah and RZA as the voices of Staten Island; and Marc Anthony as Tato, Luis Figueroa as Miguel, Flaco Navaja as Jesús, and Chris Rivers as The Bronx, each members of Turnbull AC's.
READ: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis Say Warriors Had to Be an Album First
The Warriors film, which features a screenplay by David Shaber and Walter Hill adapted from Sol Yurick's 1965 novel, follows a NYC street gang traveling from The Bronx to their home neighborhood of Coney Island after being framed for murder. The original film created a brief moral panic over gang violence, leading to a mixed initial reception, but it has since become a cult favorite.
The release sees Miranda fulfilling his original plan for Hamilton, which the Tony winner initially intended to be a concept album titled The Hamilton Mixtape, but it ended up becoming a full-length Broadway musical (he did bring that title back for a 2016 album of chart-topping recording artists covering the songs from the musical). Though not exactly common, musicals beginning life as concept albums are far from unheard of. Jesus Christ Superstar; Evita; Jekyll & Hyde; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Here Lies Love; and Hadestown all first existed as concept albums before becoming fully staged musicals.
What's less clear is what Miranda and Davis' endgame for the project might be. Concept albums can be devised to exist on their own—much like The Who's Tommy, which didn't get a stage adaptation until decades after its release. Though considering the attention on Warriors, perhaps a stage version won't be far behind.
The album can be ordered at WarriorsAlbum.com.
Lin Manuel-Miranda and Eisa Davis
Jasmine Cephas Jones and Lin Manuel-Miranda
Warriors concept album release party
Nas
Timothy Hughes
Jasmine Cephas Jones
Lin Manuel-Miranda
Eisa Davis, Nas, and Lin Manuel-Miranda
Mike Elizondo, Eisa Davis, and Lin-Manuel Miranda
Mike Elizondo
Aneesa Folds
Kenita Miller
Veronica and Christopher Jackson
Aneesa Folds, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Julia Harriman, Eisa Davis, Kim Dracula, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kenita Miller, Amber Gray, and Sasha Hutchings
Flaco Navaja
Warriors concept album release party
Amber Gray
Mykal Kilgore
Mykal Kilgore and Lin Manuel-Miranda
Lin Manuel-Miranda
Bernie Wagenblast
Eisa Davis
