After a successful album listening party, veteran singer-songwriter Tanya Stephens‘ new project – Some Kinda Madness – is now available on all streaming platforms. The record is a collaborative effort between Tanya Stephens and producer Tad A. Dawkins Jnr. And it was done exclusively for Tad’s Record Inc.
The LP launch was held at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, and was streamed live on Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio; broadcasting on SiriusXM’s channel 19. With the exception of a very noticeable late start – which we were told was due to some technical difficulties – the event was a success!
A handful of media personalities were invited to witness and document Tanya Stephens as she performed a couple of her breakout singles (It’s a Pity and Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet) as well as a few songs from the new record, Some Kinda Madness. With support from Donald Dennis (bass) Michum Chin (guitar) Kirk Bennett (drum) Andrew Marsh (keyboard) and backing vocalists Nikki Bolt, Adena Myrie and Carol Dexter, Stephens allowed us to experience Diamonds In The Sun, Fifty and Not Today – all featured on the new album – in an inexplicable way. Her intense performance, coupled with answers she gave to a number of questions, is testament to the fact that Tanya Stephens is a woman who’s been through a lot, and as a result, is immensely strong, confident and unconventional. This can also be heard and felt on Some Kinda Madness.
The twenty-track album starts with Be Who We Be, a tune that gives listeners forewarning that they’re about to enter Tanya Stephens‘ zone; a place where she will not be told how to think, feel or behave. From there she takes us on a joy-ride (no pun intended) with songs like Intervention, Too Much Party, Zig Ziggler, Fifty, Aloe Vera, and Jezebel; all centered around intimate relationships and having a good time. She gets serious on track #8 – Weight In Gold – a solid reggae tune done with Nadine Sutherland. Stephens then proceeds to give us a series of reggae songs – Not Today, Blame It On Rock & Roll, Feels Like Love, Reset, Some Kinda Madness and Don’t Hurt Me – with a few acoustic and world-beat rhythms added in: World Goes Round, Diamonds in the Sun, So Damaged, Serendipity and River. She closes off the project with a tuff reggae tune – a bonus track – called Silence.
Tanya Stephens‘ fans and supporters should know that Some Kinda Madness is not mad at all. It is – in part – the practical thoughts and expressions of someone who is very impassioned about social issues, particularly those that emerged during the pandemic. And although this LP has songs that will automatically induce good feelings, it also has tunes that will make you stop and think. Kudos to Tanya Stephens, Tad A. Dawkins Jnr. and the team at Tad’s Record for a job well done.
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