Catharsis - Breakdown Pt. 1

Music showed up in it's fullness and offered me a healing that was amazingly freeing.

I called it "Catharsis", cause that's exactly what is was.

And it became my long anticipated sophomore album.

With every word written, every melody created, every note sung, the layers broke away.

It was amazing how without being too graphic with my graphic artist Vennessa Hanshaw, she captured that on the album cover to visual perfection (Additional credits to Jordache Jones on photography and Travis Paul on makeup). And the colors that represented that was red; the flame that burnt away all that I released, white; that purified me and black goes well with those colors lol. I not only gave birth to a new musical project but to myself. Suffice it to say this is my most personal project to date. The Script has a line from one of their songs that goes "Take that rage, put it on a page, take the page to the stage, blow the roof off the place", so I did. I took my pain, fears, heartbreak and subsequent empowerment of self, coming into my own as a woman and embracing my sensuality, renewed faith in love and yes discovering love all over again and put it in fifteen (15) songs. Sought out some of the best producers, and musicians I knew and set out to make a project that was REAL, relatable, and of course commercially viable. And although some of the material was already a work in progress, Catharsis matured in the space of six (6) months: Album Season.

 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/catharsis/id1007522521

Track 1: You On Me

Track one is really an intro to the album and the vision I had for that was testimonials from some of my friends and colleagues; impromptu an honest. I reached out to said people on my whatsapp and asked for one liners, just their take on me in the form of voicenotes....yes I wanted it very unrefined and on spot, in the moment. Called up Koriq and asked him to put it together for me, mind you this was the day before the album was due to be mastered. So the night before my mastering deadline we created a skit-like intro of the testimonials overlapping over crowded chatter. 

Track 2: Catharsis

catharsis

kəˈθɑːsɪs/noun

noun: catharsis; plural noun: catharses

1.

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Now.. apart from being a close friend of mine, Michael Sean Harris is a musical force I admire greatly and I really wanted his stamp and style on Catharsis, which turned out to be the title track. Funny enough, Catharsis wasn't meant to be the title track, but the process in making the album brought us there. That's what I love about music and natural processes, flowing with and being in alignment with destiny. And on  a side note I have to give props to A-Game who, after a great conversation convinced me why I should go with Catharsis as the name for the album instead of supm more cliche, which I'm glad I did. But back to collaborating with MHS on this track. There are a handful of producers and musicians in Jamaica that produces foreign genres very well and Michael is a beast at capturing sounds and styles that are not indigenous to Jamaica. I sent him a lyrical skeleton and left the rest in his hands. He reworked, rewrote what I had sent and by the time we got to the studio it was such an effortless process. Catharsis was born. Catharsis paid tribute to me denouncing the ills of a bad relationship and freeing myself. Yayyyy .. I have worked with the great Michael Sean Harris. Can't wait for more collaborations. https://soundcloud.com/stephsingslove/catharsis

Track 3: Battlefield

Battlefield is the only cover song on the album and is originally done by Lea Michele and co-written by one of my writing icons Sia Furler. Talk about the stars aligning. I wasn't planning on having any cover tracks on this album but one night I stumbled upon this masterpiece called 'Battlefield'. This song made me buckle at my knees, it unstacked me and showed me the innermost depths of my feelings as it related to the past four years prior to. There were many songs I had heard in my lifetime that I could relate to, but this song was everything I wanted to express at this point in my life, and Sia Furler became bigger in my eyes, not to mention Lea Michele's raw and honest vocal performance. It scared me at first to think about covering such an awesome song. I wanted to do it justice, but I also wanted to tell MY story as well through this song I believe others had also loved. I decided on a a different musical interpretation and called up Elton 'Elly B' Brown (guitars), Stephaun 'Maxx' Samuels (bass) and Mijanne Webster (violin), went into One Pop Music Studios and with Rorey Baker and Paul 'Patchy' Wright at the controls created 'Battlefield'. I broke down recording the vocals for this song, the grit, just the raw emotion just unraveled me. I mused that after recording the song I will never sing it again..lol. Truth is .. recording that song freed me a great deal. Now each time I sing it, my wings get bigger. https://soundcloud.com/stephsingslove/battlefield

Track 4: Closure

All the tracks on the album are pieces of a puzzle, together they take you on a journey and complete the picture. If you listen from the beginning to the end, its a lovely and riveting story. Closure at first impression would appear to be the last track on the album but in order for the story to progress, in order for the plot to thicken 'Closure' had to happen at this point. Now the biggest irony of this album is Closure.. because it is co-produced by Stephen Maxwell; and only those who have the inside scoop will understand that statement ..lol. Or if you listen closely you'll figure it out :). Nevertheless, making music with Stephen has always been an organic process so major props due. Closure was actually a song I had started writing some years ago and Stephen had laid a three instrument track that I thought up to the time of the album was an unfinished track. After receiving the files from Stephen which was just a single piano, percussions, bass and oh yes some minimal programmed drums. I finished writing the song and laid the vocals with all intention of doing some overdubs. I listened and listened but I couldn't hear anything else that I could add to make it better than it was. I had Llamar 'Riff Raff' Brown; a musician and producer I have great respect for take a listen and he agreed, the song was complete as it was. The additional magic he said was now in the mix and the mix could make or break the song. Whoa... way to put on the pressure. Back to being in alignment, all just flowed seamlessly when Patchy, who had produced the vocals ended up mixing this song. The song vocally and lyrically was strong and it didn't need the frills, just a magical touch and that's what it got. https://soundcloud.com/stephsingslove/closure

TO BE CONTINUED

Coming up - Catharsis - Breakdown Pt. 2 - 'The Power'

People mentioned appears as follows:

Vennessa Hanshaw

Jordache Jones

                                      

Travis Paul

Koriq

Elton 'Elly B' Brown

Stephaun 'Maxx' Samuels

Mijanne Webster

Rorey Baker

Paul 'Patchy' Wright

 

Stephen Maxwell

Self FIRST is NOT selfish. An empty vessel has nothing to offer, a frustrated countenance not only gives off frustrated responses or reactions but it also attracts more frustration. Ever notice that the flight attendant instructs you to secure your mask first (in the event of danger) before assisting others? Yes, you should top your list of priorities. When you are happy, financially stable, emotionally and mentally sound, etc you are not only in a better position to help others in all those areas but you inspire others to want to step up their own state of well being. .... This is especially true with more personal relationships, for eg. Parent/children relationship. When you are your best self as a parent you have so much more substantially to give to your children materially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. You create a much more conducive environment for their growth and development. They are also modelling the qualities of your character and prove to be better at handling life's challenges as they grow up based on how they've seen you handle things, even when you think they aren't watching. The ripple effect of putting yourself first is real and big. So choose you and you choose the best for everyone else connected to you.

Growth Can Be Messy

Truth is "growth can be messy" and hard and dark. Take the caterpillar's process to the butterfly; the caterpillar forms a cocoon, digests itself, transforms and emerges as a beautiful winged creature. Sometime we find ourselves in a "cocoon" experience and it feels like we wont emerge. All the phases of sadness, depression, pain, confusion etc are all transformative things. We want to speed it up, we want to press "skip and continue" but sometimes in order to emerge with wings to soar we must undergo some level of discomfort. It's never really over until you decide it is. So I'm telling you that its going to be OK, see it through. I want to pass you fluttering through the sky, living your best life. The only time I want to say "told you so". Hold on to yourself! Growth can be messy but with each level of life you move up you'll be glad you stuck it through

What If You Fly?

Stepping out in faith for some is a hard thing, others live for the thrill o

f being brave in their pursuits, and some really don't think they were meant to fly (like its only for a chosen few). We are all meant to soar, its coming to the realisation and subsequent acceptance of that, that makes us counted among the "chosen"...cause truth is the choice is ours! Its really up to us. The One who made you has declared many a great thing over your life, crowned you, called you good!! Once we get in alignment with our true nature we most certainly will fly. And maybe not at first few attempts, sure we will fall sometimes as you master life's lessons.. But you were not built to break, you were made to learn and grow from strength to strength. Accept this as your truth and watch yourself soar. What if you fly?