Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review


Stephen Stanley, 'Divided Frame of Mind'
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Stephen Stanley
Divided Frame of Mind



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Rock / Pop
Album length: 14 tracks: 44 minutes, 6 seconds
Street Date: July 21, 2023


READER RATING:   


Stephen Stanley's debut album, Divided Frame of Mind, is possibly one of the "biggest" releases to have slipped under the radar this year. It was poised for success with the major-label backing of Capitol CMG / Sparrow, having a viral Tik Tok song with "Whatever It Takes," and notable features from Tommee Proffit, Riley Clemmons, and MuteMath's Darren King. Yet, even now, several months out from its July 2023 release, you'll be hard pressed to find significant coverage for the release. It's a shame, because it is a fantastic album.

When Stephen Stanley first signed with Capitol CMG in 2021, we received a few pretty typical K-LOVE-friendly singles and an EP, but Divided Frame of Mind feels like an intentional shift in another direction. Stylistically, the album boasts an alternative rock sound with catchy hooks and big-sounding electric guitars. If a comparison to another artist comes to mind while listening to a track, the next song challenges that conclusion - take a listen to the 80's synths on "Outta My Mind," the fuzzy rock n' roll guitars of "Taking It Back," or the 2000's radio-rock vibe of "Whatever It Takes," for example. But it's not all for the sake of variety. There is a musical and thematic cohesion in the flow of the album in the way it takes us on a journey through Stephen Stanley's mind and his struggles with mental health. There are a few tracks that really clue you in that this album is a fully designed listening experience as opposed to a collection of singles. The 1-minute intro track sets up the theme of mental health over an atmospheric musical backdrop, "Taking It Back" serves as a "climax" featuring explosive drum work from MuteMath's Darren King, and the contemplative piano ballad "Where I've Been" is a fitting closing track declaring "there's gotta be a silver lining / God I need this road to bend / don't let my feet fail me / 'cause where I'm going ain't where I've been."

Ultimately, every song points to God as the source of rest and safety. But the way Stephen Stanley crafts his lyrics and bears his heart feels raw and sometimes even unresolved, rather than the neatly-tied bows we often hear on Christian radio. It's refreshing. While the songwriting is excellent, perhaps what is most distinct about Stephen Stanley's music is his voice - specifically the way he uses it. When he is singing normally, his voice almost could be described as a blend of Chris Llewellyn and Zach Williams, but he often shifts into a gruff yell, that sounds like he's about to crack, for large chunks of a song. The orchestrated ballad "Run and Hide" is a great example of the shift between these two vocal styles and hearing him sing-yelling over gentle strings and piano feels very brave.

What Stephen Stanley accomplishes on Divided Frame of Mind may not be immediately obvious from listening to individual tracks or even the first pass through the album. There's some surface level familiarity in the music, but there is a depth to everything that becomes more clear and compelling with each subsequent listen. On top of that, this album is surely a case of being greater than the sum of its parts. It's an album that keeps drawing you back in because it has both substance and style - equal parts enjoyable and impactful. If this one slipped by you this year, do yourself a favor and spend some time with it. Highlights include the entire first half of the album and the duet with Riley Clemmons, "Note To Self."

- Review date: 12/20/23, written by Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Try Pop Culture Coffee!

 

. Record Label: Capitol CMG
. Album length: 14 tracks: 44 minutes, 6 seconds
. Street Date: July 21, 2023
. Buy It: Apple Music
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. Divided Frame Of Mind (1:03)
  2. The Edge (3:23)
  3. Outta My Mind (3:14)
  4. Holding Me Up (2:57)
  5. Whatever It Takes (3:30)
  6. Run And Hide (3:18)
  7. The Heat (3:33)
  8. I'll Carry You (3:56)
  9. About To Rain (2:32)
  10. Taking It Back (feat. DK) (2:18)
  11. Clean (3:18)
  12. Rest In The Father (3:16)
  13. Note To Self (3:06)
  14. Where I've Been (4:34)

 

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Try Pop Culture Coffee!

Search JFH



This Tuesday, June 3, 2025
SINGLES
Sixpence None The Richer The Needle and the Damage Done - Single [Flatiron]

This Friday, June 6, 2025
ALBUMS
CCV Hollow (Deluxe) (independent)
Ben Fuller Walk Through Fire [Provident]
Hopeful. The Wild One - EP (independent)
Christy Nockels King Who Never Sleeps; Anthems for Rest [The Fuel]

SINGLES
7eventh Time Down My Will - Single [BEC]
Bill B. & Cyrus Sonata Kevlar - Single [Syntax]
Elan Brio I'm Satisfied (ft. Henry Israel) - Single (independent)
Aaron Cole NOBODY BUT GOD - Single [Provident]
Equippers Worship Living in Freedom (Live) - Single [DREAM]
Good Weather Forecast Pray - Single [DREAM]
Ic3rd & EJ Swavv Woke Up (ft. CJ Emulous & George.Rose) - Single [Syntax]
King David tha Vessel Consistant - Single (independent)
Brandon Lake Daddy's DNA [Provident]
Myles Maestro Flood (ft. Ace Savage & Shruumi) - Single [Syntax]
Mell Omii Wave - Single [Syntax]
Kevi Morse Mr. Pilot - Single [Syntax]
River Valley Worship Time For Revival - Single [BEC]
Roy Tosh Everything's Gonna Be Alright (feat. PEABOD) - Single [RMG Amplify]
Solachi Voz All I Need - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Genesis (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]
Ayiesha Woods I Have Hope - Single [Backsider]

VINYL
Ironwrath Master Storyteller Vinyl [Girder]

Next Friday, June 13, 2025
ALBUMS
Coqui Death to Your Ego [DREAM]
King's Hammer To Speak In Tongues - EP [Rottweiler]
Brandon Lake King Of Hearts [Provident]
Joel Vaughn Feel It - EP [DREAM]
War of Ages Eternal (15th Anniversary Edition) [Facedown]

SINGLES
CalledOut Music Worthy of It All - Single [Integrity]
Equippers Worship Garment of Praise - Single [DREAM]
Mainstream Worship Near - Single [DREAM Worship]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images