Briana – Bri Babineaux

Briana
Bri Babineaux
Tyscot (release date: May 22, 2026)

By Robert M. Marovich

From its eponymous title and fist-raising opening track “Confident” to the nine inspirational selections that follow, Bri Babineaux’s latest album finds the gospel singer and songwriter experiencing and commenting on her new decade of life. She mixes personal affirmations of spiritual freedom and moments of vulnerability—a sort of musical therapy—with melodic flourishes of contemporary worship and prayerful declarations of discipleship.

Much has happened in Babineaux’s life in the ten years since her debut album Keys to My Heart (Tyscot) brought her to national attention. She got married, had a child, went through a divorce, and experienced other trials that, in one way or another, have influenced her conversational lyrics (she wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on Briana). In other words, the new album gives a glimpse of the artist not as a twenty-something, as Keys to My Heart did, but as a thirty-something, with the new decade’s messy and gritty coating of life. Hence the title Briana vs. Bri.

The single “I Will Wait” is the album’s top track. Bri sings this incisive declaration of faith in her most self-assured and high-spirited manner. At the same time, listeners seeking churchier fare will find “Stay Here” and “Faithful”—the album’s second finest selection—falling more naturally into the Sunday morning-style gospel category than some others on the album that favor a Top 40 R&B crossover sensibility in their production and hooky melodies.

My only quibble is that the brief spoken word section that introduces “Grace” should have been given its own separate track on the album. Otherwise, the radio-sized songs on Briana will resonate most strongly with those in the young adult demographic who, like Bri herself, are searching for their place in a confusing, complex society.

Four of Five Stars

Top Tracks: “I Will Wait,” “Faithful”