Beautiful Awakening

Personnel: Stacie Orrico (background vocals); Graham Marsh , Michael "Ese" Severson, Sherrod "Licspiffy" Barnes, Tony Reyes, Phil Hamilton, Carlton Lynn (guitar); The Track (Fender Rhodes piano); Cito Crandle (keyboards); Rick Sheppard (midi); Randy Cooke, Gerald Heyward (drums); Dwayne Bastiany, Anthony Dent (programming); DJ Bick (scratches); Carlos Ricketts, Tiffany Palmer (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Greg Price; Josh Wilbur; Carlton Lynn.
Recording information: Atlanta Premier Recordings, Atlanta, GA; Darp Studios, Atlanta, GA; Divine Mill Studio, Bloomfield Hills, NJ; For Chase Studio, Atlanta, GA; For Chase Studios, Atlanta, GA; Gymnasium Studios, Hollywood, CA; Right Track Recording, New York, NY; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; The Barbershop Studios, Hopatcong, NJ; The Vault, West Orange, NJ.
Beautiful Awakening finds vocalist Stacie Orrico not only delivering more of the R&B-soaked pop she perfected on her 2003 self-titled sophomore effort, but also maturing as an artist and a woman. Only 17 when she released her previous album, Orrico owns her womanhood here, focusing on such subjects as falling in love and keeping true to yourself. Although there is not a heavy Christian aesthetic evinced here as on her debut album, by no means does she seem to be dropping her spirituality. In fact, tracks such as "So Simple," "Dream You" and "Take Me Away" reveal Orrico's knack for a fresh and melodic neo-soul sound with a bent toward lyrics about inner beauty, true love and happiness. In that sense, Orrico often seems like a balanced mix of such contemporaries as Corinne Bailey Rae and Christina Aguilera. These are heartfelt, hummable and sometimes funky tracks that truly showcase Orrico's growing vocal talent and pop charisma. [The US version was scheduled, but never released.] ~ Matt Collar