Stephanie Renee is a name you've probably never heard of her - right, well not any more. Stephanie is Philly's latest product to appear on the 'neo-soul, spoken word' scene with her debut release 'Suite Jezebel' due in the autumn of this year. This talented young lady speaks poetry in tongues (much in the same way as fellow Philadelphian Jill Scott) and I'm sure she will garner similarities to Ms. Scott as well. 

I first came across Stephanie's music 2 years ago quite by accident on mp3.com where I heard the delightful 'Pleasure seekers' - a steller selection of strings and horns blended with this lady's exceptional voice made this a personal favourite and left me wanting more. Since then she has released an EP called 'Dulce' which dropped last year that contained 'Pleasure Seekers', 'Forbidden Fruit' and 'See me' among others both of which merit the word - excellent.

Bearing this in mind, her full length debut comes equipped with all of the above tracks and some new ones as well. 'So High' is a breath of fresh air with it's breezy instrumentation, 'Part of me' has tints of jazz highlighted with some old school soul feeling and let's not forget the spoken word of 'IDology' - pure bliss.

When asked about why she choose this path  Stephanie said "Why I have chosen to leave the security of the 9-to-5 working world and throw my soul upon tracks. The industry has convinced itself that it doesn't want too many people who bring what I'm coming with -- a genuine passion for performing and no fear for bringing intelligence back into the art. The reign of gangsta shit and pop music sickeningness is just about up. True artistry is making a comeback and I'll be there, watching and making it happen".

"I sing, write, produce, arrange, manage, direct, film and market my own stuff. I promote self-sufficiency and encourage other artists to learn everything possible about this business. You can't stimulate change from a position of ignorance. Play your music, but also care about how and what you say while you're doing it. Let's build this network of voices raised to make positive change!". 

She is a woman on a mission with a message to tell in her music. Listen closely one might just learn something. A true TY-D Pick indeed 

TD

Listen to Stephanie Renee's  "Forbidden Fruit"

Listen to Stephanie Renee's  "So High"