Hey folks! Apologies for the hiatus, but I’m back with an artist that you just have to hear about. I like to consider myself knowledgeable about music but it looks like somehow this Singer-Songwriter missed my radar last year.
She recently made it on to our Best New & Emerging Music list and with no further ado I present to you, Singer/Songwriter Stacy Barthe. Like most songwriters who transition into performing artists, Stacy’s first EP Sincerely Yours came about by her wondering what would happen if she answered the calling she felt within to create a personal work of art and to perform her own songs. Following that successful EP from 2011, came the birth of her most recent work In The Inbetween which was released in February 2012. Below is an excerpt on Stacy from her official website.
"With this new generation of pop and fast paced beats, out emerges a new breed of the young soul. Born in Brooklyn, raised in Long Island and of Haitian decent, Barthe grew up with the inspiration of Sade, Bob Marley, Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill and The Fugees; which created a deep and serene portrayal of her life through her writing and singing."
The Grammy Award-nominated Stacy signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group in 2007 and is known for working with such notable artists as Akon, Estelle and Brandy. She is also responsible for penning quite a few mainstream records including Britney Spears’ “Blur” and Katy Perry’s “Hummingbird Heartbeat” amongst others and lets just say we’re glad Stacy is coming out from behind the scenes to bring us that GOOD music.
The first track I'm sharing titled "Keep It Like It Is" comes off Stacy’s most recent project, the In the Inbetween album. This is also the first track I heard from the artist so I’m hoping it has the same effect on you. Produced by Supa Dups, the fusion of R&B on an instrumental that echoes a bassline highly influenced by Reggae just makes me want to turn up the volume! Belting lyrics that can only come from an emotional place, the track poses such great production and vocal quality that Stacy Barthe’s knowledge about music truly stands out. Having written the sublime smash hit for Barbados native Rihanna, “Cheers, (Drink to That)”, we can see why Stacy is comfortable writing and performing to such an Island-influenced musical milieu.
Next we visit Stacy’s debut EP Sincerely Yours for the track titled "Comfy Little Coffin", which definitely steers in a different direction from what you just heard. The single produced by Cool and Dre - which Stacy recently shot a video for - is the epitome of what a powerful track is and should be. The deep lyrics are of someone who lost a loved one and in the process lost all desire to live as well as she sings, “I’d rather just be alone in my comfy little coffin”. Backed by pronounced guitar arrangements strung harmoniously in a pattern and soft drum kicks, listen to the serene mid-tempo tune below...
"Never Did", which sadly happens to be less than two minutes long stands as my favorite track off the Sincerely Yours EP. Three words to describe this SoundZ-produced track would be ‘pure musical bliss’. In an interview, Stacy said “You can find hurt and pain in my music while finding the light. It represents empowerment. I speak from a very truthful and sincere place… with love”, which is very apparent on this song. I urge you to listen to the softly sung ballad - which almost sounds like the female version of a Frank Ocean record - backed by soft drums and deft keyboards all brought together beautifully by Stacy's amazing vocals.
It would have been simple to plug in so many other tracks from the sublime Stacy Barthe since I am yet to be disappointed by any song that I’ve heard from the uber amazing artist. From the Frank Ocean-featured "Without You" to "No Strings Attached" which features John Legend, I say go ahead and cop both the Sincerely Yours and In the Inbetween EPs (via iTunes below), they are so WORTH it. Stacy is currently working on her debut album and judging from the quality of work she has put out so far, a number one album looks very likely.
Purchase: Sincerely Yours (iTunes)
Purchase: In The Inbetween (iTunes)
TemiY
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