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.
| BEcoming | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Creative Direction & Design by Joe Perez | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 10, 2015 | |||
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| Length | 62:59 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Stacy Barthe chronology | ||||
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| Singles from BEcoming | ||||
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Release and promotion
editTo 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
edit"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
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Irish Times | [10] |
| YourMusicMyWorld | [11] |
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."[12] Gail Mitchell of Billboard described BEcoming as "a powerful, raw narrative about the joys and pains of life."[13] 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."[14]
Year-end lists
edit| Publication | List | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| BET | The Best R&B Albums of 2015 | 2015 | |
| WDET | New Soul Sunday's Best of 2015 | 2015 |
Legacy
editIn 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."[17]
Track listing
editAlbum credits adapted from Tidal.[18]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Suicide Note (Intro)" | 2:28 | ||
| 2. | "In My Head" |
| 3:00 | |
| 3. | "Sleep to Dream" |
|
| 3:43 |
| 4. | "Eyes Wide Shut" |
|
| 3:33 |
| 5. | "Here I Am" |
|
| 4:00 |
| 6. | "Me Versus Me" | 4:18 | ||
| 7. | "Find It (Transition)" |
|
| 4:33 |
| 8. | "Live For Today" (feat. Common) |
|
| 3:46 |
| 9. | "Flawed Beautiful Creatures (Summer Version)" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 10. | "Hey You There" |
|
| 3:22 |
| 11. | "Walk On Water" |
|
| 2:35 |
| 12. | "Born to Belong (Interlude)" |
|
| 3:03 |
| 13. | "War IV Love (Spring Version)" |
|
| 3:42 |
| 14. | "Angel" (feat. John Legend) | 3:05 | ||
| 15. | "You Wonder Why?" |
| 3:50 | |
| 16. | "In the Meantime" |
|
| 4:21 |
| 17. | "Enough Is Enough..." |
|
| 6:28 |
| Total length: | 62:59 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
Sample credits
- ^[b] "Here I Am" contains samples of "Drink My Pain Away", as written by Stacy Barthe, Jesse Woodard IV, Joi Nicole Campbell & Corey Gibson.[19]
- ^[c] "Live For Today" contains an interpolation of "Mas que Nada", as written and performed by Jorge Ben.[19]
- ^[d] "Angel" is a cover of "Angel", as written by Anita Baker, Patrick Moten & Sandra Sully; and contains a drum beat from "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", as performed by Biz Markie.[6][19]
Personnel
editPersonnel credits adapted from the liner notes of BEcoming.[19]
Studios
editRecording locations
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Mixing & mastering locations
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Vocals
edit
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Musicians
edit
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Production
edit
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Technical
edit
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Management
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Design
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Charts
edit| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[21] | 92 |
| US Top Current Albums (Billboard)[22] | 36 |
| US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[23] | 4 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24] | 8 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Catalog # | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | July 10, 2015 | digital download • streaming | Motown • Homeschool • Universal | B0021473-02 | [1] |
| CD | Motown | [25] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "BEcoming by Stacy Barthe on Apple Music". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ Platon, Adelle. "Keep Ya Head Up With This Sampler of Stacy Barthe's BEcoming LP". VIBE. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
- ^ Williams, Gabriel. "Singer/Songwriter Stacy Barthe Releases New Short Film 'BEcoming'". SFPL. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ Marley, Zuri. "Stacy Barthe Has A Hit With New Single 'War IV Love'". Okayplayer. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ a b "Stacy Barthe Discography". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Golding, Shenequa. "Stacy Barthe Does Anita Baker Justice With Her Remake of 'Angel'". VIBE. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
- ^ Nostro, Lauren. "Premiere: Listen to Stacy Barthe's 'Live For Today' f/ Common". COMPLEX. Complex Networks. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- ^ "Stacy Barthe Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "BEcoming - AllMusic Review". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Carroll, Jim. "Stacy Barthe: BEcoming Album Review". The Irish Times. The Irish Times DAC. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ "Album Review: Stacy Barthe's Debut Album BEcoming". YMMW. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ Carter, Bobby. "Review: Stacy Barthe, BEcoming". npr music. National Public Radio. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ Mitchell, Gail. "Stacy Barthe, Songwriter for Rihanna and Katy Perry, Talks Motown Debut BEcoming". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "Listen: Stacy Barthe Previews Debut Album BEcoming With Full Album Stream". ThisIsRnB. Retrieved July 3, 2015.
- ^ "The Best R&B Albums of 2015". BET. ViacomCBS. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ Austin, Nick. "New Soul Sunday's Best of 2015 Playlist". WDET-FM. WSU. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Arnold, Chuck (18 March 2020). "10 Albums to Crank Up While Coronavirus Has You Stuck at Home". New York Post. News Corp. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "Stacy Barthe / BEcoming / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c d BEcoming. Motown (CD liner). Stacy Barthe. Los Angeles: Capitol Music Group. 2015. B0021473-02.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "BEcoming Album Packaging". Joe R. Perez Studio. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "Stacy Barthe Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ "Stacy Barthe Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ ""Stacy Barthe Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ "Stacy Barthe Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ "BEcoming CD". Discogs. Release Code: [r8613738]. Retrieved December 4, 2020.