Becoming (Stacy Barthe album) explained

BEcoming
Type:studio
Artist:Stacy Barthe
Cover:BEcoming.jpg
Caption:Creative Direction & Design
by Joe Perez
Released:July 10, 2015
Length:62:59
Prev Title:P.S. I Love You
Prev Year:2013
Next Title:FKA Stacy Barthe
Next Year:2016

Becoming (stylized as BEcoming) is the debut studio album by Haitian American singer and songwriter Stacy Barthe. It was released on July 10, 2015, by Motown and Homeschool Records.[1] It features guest appearances from John Legend and Common.

Release and promotion

To help promote the album's long-awaited release, a 6-track sampler was uploaded to SoundCloud on December 22, 2014.[2] BEcoming was officially released for digital download and streaming on July 10, 2015, by Motown and John Legend's Homeschool Records.[1] A short film of the same name was released on July 14, 2015—documenting Barthe's struggles with depression, attempted suicide, and weight loss journey.[3]

Singles

"War IV Love" was released on March 18, 2014, as the album's lead single.[4] "Flawed Beautiful Creatures" was released as the album's second single on December 15, 2014.[5] Both "War IV Love" and "Flawed Beautiful Creatures"—along with non-album cut, "Extraordinary Love"—were featured on BET's NAACP award-winning drama series, Being Mary Jane. A cover of Anita Baker's "Angel", featuring John Legend, was released as the album's third single on December 23, 2014. An abridged version of the cover first appeared on John Legend's fourth studio album, Love in the Future, as an interlude.[6] "Live For Today", featuring Common, was released as the album's fourth single on January 15, 2015.[7] The fifth and final single released was "You Wonder Why?" on June 29, 2015.[5] The single would become Barthe's highest performing release, peaking at number twenty-three on US Billboard's Adult R&B Songs.[8]

Critical reception

Upon its release, BEcoming received positive reviews from critics. Bobby Carter of npr music proclaimed, "BEcoming is all about brutal, fearless honesty ... when taken as a whole, it feels like a powerful and necessary purge."[9] Gail Mitchell of Billboard described BEcoming as "a powerful, raw narrative about the joys and pains of life."[10] Online R&B publication ThisIsR&B praised the album, stating: "Stacy didn’t simply record an album. Rather she penned an often raw, always real, and undeniably riveting audio diary—recounting her own unbelievable, yet universal story."[11]

Year-end lists

PublicationListYear
BETThe Best R&B Albums of 20152015
WDETNew Soul Sunday's Best of 20152015

Legacy

In response to the stay-at-home orders enacted to suppress the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the New York Post listed BEcoming at number eight on their list of 10 albums to revisit in 2020—calling it "one of the best R&B LPs of the '10s."[12]

Track listing

Album credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from the liner notes of BEcoming.[14]

Studios

Recording locations

Mixing & mastering locations

Vocals

Musicians

Production

Technical

Management

Design

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)LabelCatalog #
Worldwidedigital download • streamingMotown • Homeschool • UniversalB0021473-02
CDMotown[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BEcoming by Stacy Barthe on Apple Music. Apple Music. Apple Inc.. July 10, 2015.
  2. Web site: Platon. Adelle. Keep Ya Head Up With This Sampler of Stacy Barthe's BEcoming LP. VIBE. Prometheus Global Media. December 22, 2014.
  3. Web site: Williams. Gabriel. Singer/Songwriter Stacy Barthe Releases New Short Film 'BEcoming'. SFPL. July 31, 2015.
  4. Web site: Marley. Zuri. Stacy Barthe Has A Hit With New Single 'War IV Love'. Okayplayer. March 18, 2014.
  5. Web site: Stacy Barthe Discography. AllMusic. RhythmOne. November 17, 2020.
  6. Web site: Golding. Shenequa. Stacy Barthe Does Anita Baker Justice With Her Remake of 'Angel'. VIBE. Prometheus Global Media. December 24, 2014.
  7. Web site: Nostro. Lauren. Premiere: Listen to Stacy Barthe's 'Live For Today' f/ Common. COMPLEX. Complex Networks. January 15, 2015.
  8. Stacy Barthe Chart History (Adult R&B Songs). Billboard. October 16, 2015.
  9. Web site: Carter. Bobby. Review: Stacy Barthe, BEcoming. npr music. National Public Radio. July 1, 2015.
  10. Mitchell. Gail. Stacy Barthe, Songwriter for Rihanna and Katy Perry, Talks Motown Debut BEcoming. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 18, 2015.
  11. Web site: Listen: Stacy Barthe Previews Debut Album BEcoming With Full Album Stream. ThisIsRnB. July 3, 2015.
  12. Web site: Arnold. Chuck. 10 Albums to Crank Up While Coronavirus Has You Stuck at Home. New York Post. 18 March 2020 . News Corp. March 18, 2020.
  13. Web site: Stacy Barthe / BEcoming / Credits. Tidal. July 10, 2015.
  14. BEcoming. Stacy Barthe. Motown. Capitol Music Group. CD liner. 2015. Los Angeles. B0021473-02.
  15. Web site: BEcoming Album Packaging. Joe R. Perez Studio. December 9, 2020.
  16. Stacy Barthe Chart History (Top Current Album Sales). Billboard. July 31, 2015.
  17. Web site: BEcoming CD. Discogs. Release Code: [r8613738]. December 4, 2020.

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