By Charlie Maybee
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D.C.-based musicians Jarreau Williams and Stephanie Mathias have joined forces on the brand new single “Starting Over (I Believe In You),” which delivers some strong songwriting and production mixing pop sensibilities with the soul of R&B. From the get-go, the groove of the song is catchy and the chorus features irresistibly sing-along encouragement that pushes us to take a chance, let go of the past, and be willing to start anew. The repetitious use of “I believe in you” as the main lyrical hook is both encouraging and immensely entertaining.
Speaking about this new track, Mathias notes that it, “combines Jarreau’s Wammie-winning powerful and soothing ‘golden pipes’ with my characteristic piano instrumentation and vocal vulnerability, produced with synth and electronic drums that give the song a fresh new take on 90’s Moby vibes!”
“And the story behind the song is incredibly meaningful,” she adds. “Jarreau came to me with this song to encourage me as I was recovering from the miscarriage I had in December of 2020. Not only does it speak to how universal it is to start over after tragedy strikes, but also tells my personal story of starting over in my current pregnancy, with a real-life happy ending because it will be released right before the baby is due!”
It seems that time was on Jarreau and Stephanie’s side with this new collaboration, and while we hope to see more from them soon, this is a lovely song to start off the seasonal shift to autumn. As the trees begin to shed their leaves and start over, perhaps we can take this opportunity to follow suit in our own human pursuits.
“Starting Over (I Believe In You)” can be streamed on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, and all other major streaming platforms.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
After AFI DOCS’s departure, the capital city once again has a documentary festival.
Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
