Stephen Royal released his debut single, "Pray," in late 2024, not long after the tragic passing of his father. In many ways, "Pray" is exactly the type of song you'd expect to hear from a Christian who's maneuvering such an earth-shattering loss: a plea for God to show Himself amidst pain, wrestling, and doubt. Surprisingly, though, this disposition of doubt is reserved primarily for the song's first verse. As Royal's soulful, youthful voice carries us into the chorus, he's met by a choir exclaiming "Pray!" on repeat. At first, Royal responds to the choir with honest responses of "But I’m afraid / What do I say / But is He listening?" These questions are then met with unwavering assurance, followed by a refrain which adapts Matthew 7:7 ("Ask and you will be given to you / Seek and you’ll find what’s promised to you / Knock and the door will be open to you"). The remainder of the track is an anthem of faith, resting confidently in God's peace and presence. Musically, all of this is backed by a beautifully produced track that merges rock-leaning guitars and punchy drums with R&B-flavored keys and colorful, unexpected key flourishes. Unfortunately, Royal's vocals aren't nearly as polished as the music he's singing over. There's something charming about his very natural and live-concert-sounding performance, meanwhile his style and timbre bring to mind any number of R&B singers (Musiq Soulchild, Ne-Yo, Tevin Campbell, Christian Gray, etc.); however, there are many moments throughout the track where I wish that his timing or pitch could be a little tighter. Similarly, he frequently leans into vocal runs (which at times nearly sound improvised), and the song would have benefitted from holding back and crafting more clearly defined melodies, especially in the earlier portions of the song. It's almost like Royal doesn't find his groove until the halfway point of the song, where some added aggression in his voice makes him sound superb. Some subtle harmonies in the final chorus also add a nice texture to the song, but, by way of contrast, it proves how stronger the song could've been by taking more time and care to flesh out the vocals (both lead and background) throughout the whole production. There's a lot of promise in Royal's combination of pop/rock and R&B/soul, but it would seem that he's overdue to display that he can grow this vision through new songs. "Pray" is a great starting place for his output, but it's not the type of knockout hit that can kick-start a successful career. As we approach the two-year anniversary of this single's release, I hope we'll be hearing more from Stephen Royal's adventurous musical palette and emotive vocals in the near future.

- Review date: 9/8/26, written by Chase Tremaine of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 1 track: 4 minutes, 6 seconds
Street Date: November 20, 2024
Buy It: Apple Music

1. Pray (4:06)

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