Kenny Peagler has spent three decades at the piano — on stages from Carnegie Hall to festival circuits worldwide, and once in front of President Barack Obama. We Are Just Human pushes his voice and his songwriting to the front for the first time.
It's a vocal record built on an unusually deep bench. Drummer and producer Poogie Bell anchors a band that rotates through five of the most recorded bassists in modern music — Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Will Lee, Bakithi Kumalo, and Jimmy Haslip — alongside saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, and the late guitarist Dean Brown, whose playing is among the last he committed to record.
Across nine songs, Peagler moves between quiet, plainspoken writing and full-band grooves with real weight behind them. The title isn't incidental: under the résumé and the guest list, the album keeps circling back to the ordinary business of being a person.
Out now. Stream We Are Just Human on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your music.
May 12, 2026
Veteran soul critic Chris Rizik called the lead single "a tasty slice of country-influenced midtempo R&B" and praised Peagler as "a direct, earnest vocalist... possessing a classic soul tone that sounds just right."
"A comfortable entry in a year often…
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Apr 24, 2026
Veteran critic Brett Callwood highlighted We Are Just Human’s commitment to live performance and emotional depth, noting “a sweetness about Peagler’s music that is as reminiscent of Randy Newman and Neil Diamond as it is any soul and country…
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Mar 16, 2026
Acclaimed pianist and composer Kenny Peagler has announced the forthcoming release of his latest album, We Are Just Human, slated for June 12, 2026. The arrival of the full-length project will be preceded by a strategic sequence of…
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Oct 13, 2024
On July 9, 2024, pianist and composer Kenny Peagler was presented with the President Joseph R. Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony held at Acme Feed & Seed in Nashville. The honor, reserved for those whose contributions to…
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Oct 5, 2024
In an era when jazz tributes are plentiful but often perfunctory, Kenny Peagler's Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn stands apart — not as homage, but as conversation. Stripped of orchestration and big-band grandeur, these solo piano performances move…
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Sep 13, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nashville, TN — September 13, 2024
Kenny Peagler Featured in Nashville Voyager Magazine
Kenny Peagler — pianist, composer, and vocalist — is featured in the latest edition of Nashville Voyager Magazine as part of its ongoing "Inspiring…
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Apr 8, 2024
Washington, D.C., February 12, 2024 – Renowned jazz pianist and singer-songwriter Kenny Peagler has released his latest single, Come Close to Me, a poignant and soulful tribute to the late guitar virtuoso Dean Brown. Produced and drummed by the…
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Apr 8, 2024
New York City, March 14, 2024 – In a stunning convergence of musical brilliance, renowned hit songwriter Valerie Simpson spotlighted the collaborative genius of artist June Van Duke and pianist-singer-songwriter Kenny Peagler. On the unforgettable evening of March 14, 2024…
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