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Shurnelle Spencer Teases New Album

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Shurnelle Spencer has been dropping a mix of hints and hits. A long-time singer and worship leader, Spencer announced herself as a recording artist to contend with in 2018 with the release of her monumental single “Running Ova.” The song feels like Soca at its core, reflecting Spencer’s roots from Trinidad and Tobago, but there were also definitely noticeable elements of Afrobeats that permeated the whole track. The two main videos posted for the song on YouTube quickly racked up tens of thousands of streams, cementing Shurnelle Spencer as one promising artist to watch emerging from current groundswell of independent Adventist artists.

“Running Ova” Music Video:  

Fast forward to this year, and Spencer has begun teasing the arrival of a full length album. Though she has released new songs sparsely in the time since 2018, this new record promises to be her first full-length project. A recent post on her Instagram account saw her elaborating a bit on the themes of the upcoming album and her creative journey leading to this point.

Fast forward to this year, and Spencer has begun teasing the arrival of a full length album. Though she has released new songs sparsely in the time since 2018, this new record promises to be her first full-length project. A recent post on her Instagram account saw her elaborating a bit on the themes of the upcoming album and her creative journey leading to this point. 

Shurnelle shares:

“These past few years have been difficult for everyone, and I think, as a Christian … we’re not living in absence of pain and suffering and hurt and confusion […]And I want this space to be a safe space where we can be vulnerable, and we can share who we are. I know I’m not perfect, and I know you’re not perfect too. So I really want this space to be one where we can grow together.”

While she has refrained from sharing the name of the upcoming album as of yet, we are not without a foretaste. April 11, 2023 saw the release of the lead single from the record, Shepherd. Much like the other material she has released since Running Ova, Shepherd leans more in a devotional Gospel direction, with strong overtones of contemporary worship music. This song, however, is more ambitious in scope and scale than anything she has yet released. Spencer’s delivery is smooth and precise throughout the whole song as she confidently walks the listener through both the words of Psalm 23 and the full span of her vocal range. Her presence is complemented by a rich wash of backing vocals that elevate the latter two thirds of the song with a steadily swelling intensity. The overall effect is all at once solemn, but triumphant. 

“Shepherd” Music Video:

It’s worth noting, though, that this song should not be taken as the sonic paradigm for the whole upcoming project. Shurnelle has mentioned (both online and in personal conversation) that the album draws from a wealth of influences, and that we may need to anticipate songs with elements from jazz and other classic genres.

It’s worth noting, though, that this song should not be taken as the sonic paradigm for the whole upcoming project. Shurnelle has mentioned (both online and in personal conversation) that the album draws from a wealth of influences, and that we may need to anticipate songs with elements from jazz and other classic genres.

Still, this is a promising outing from an artist who has already demonstrated that she can operate within a broad stylistic range. This year may well be the definitive year to pay attention to Shurnelle Spencer, whose rise to prominence seems to be an increasingly sure thing. 

Artist Links:

Website Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Spotify


 

Maxwell Aka is a Canadian musician and writer. He performs and records with many musicians and works as a fundraising writer for ADRA Canada.

Photos courtesy of Shurnelle Spencer

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