Album Review: ‘Stone Fruits’ by Stephen Curtis

On August 12, Edmonton-born musician Stephen Curtis released his fourth album, Stone Fruits. The hip-hop-inspired songwriter has been making music since his childhood, but more recently Curtis has tried to steer his music in a more open and vulnerable direction. Stone Fruits emerges as an album with a strong foundation, but weak execution. It’s obvious that Curtis’ focus is on production, which makes for many interesting musical moments, but ultimately shows up in his flimsy lyricism.

The album opens with the light and airy “Cardinal.” The first few chords are delicately plucked over the sound of a woman laughing, invoking images of sunny mornings and carefree afternoons. The track gains texture as sporadic drums and Curtis’ voice join in, singing of melodies and harmony. The song is a pleasant listen, but its lyrics remain vague and repetitive. It’s not clear from the get-go what Curtis wishes to communicate in his album.

“Cardinal” is followed by the title track. “Stone Fruits” is sonically quite different from its predecessor, but lyrically it’s only about a stone’s throw away in quality. The track is more upbeat — the beginning of Curtis’ hip-hop influences starting to creep in. But unlike “Cardinal,” there isn’t much about the production that grabs the listener. It’s a pretty run-of-the-mill, contemporary tune, with similar semi-ambiguous lyrics.

The album continues in a similarly confused fashion. There are definitely some standout musical moments that demonstrate Curtis’ strength as a producer and musician. “Times” features some classic, crunchy guitar chords that bounce off the ear just right, and “Sugar” has a smoother, deeper emphasis on the bass, which makes for a nice contrast afterwards. “Not the Enemy” springs to life with a jazzy piano riff, then settles into a catchy beat. Curtis should be commended for his sonic experimentation, but his lack of cohesion can make the album feel a bit disjointed. There are a lot of musical plates being spun, and there doesn’t quite seem to be a thread bringing them all together.

Contrarily, where Curtis takes risks in his instrumentation, he tends to play it a bit too safe vocally. He has a raw vocal sound that lends itself to vulnerability as well as relatability, but many of the vocal lines are unchanging, allowing the production to do most of the work. The album shines most in its more minimalist moments, such as “Cardinal” or “Star Collectors,” but Curtis never really gives them the chance to breathe. While hip-hop is a huge influence on Stone Fruits, I often found myself frustrated by the more rap-heavy moments, as they swallowed up Curtis’ simple yet effective melodies. If anything, a lo-fi, reflective sound is Curtis’ strong suit as an artist.

Stone Fruits is an admirable album, featuring the journey of a relatively new, Albertan musician finding his footing. Curtis has a lot to be proud of, and I’m excited to see him continue to grow as an artist.