Singer/songwriter, author and speaker, Staci Frenes, just released her ninth independent album, Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores that is available now on all digital music outlets. Produced by long-time friend Nate Sabin (Jason Gray, Sara Groves), the collection of nine songs have a more textured and lush pop sound with lyrics that reveal a deeper look into Frenes' life. It involves navigating some messy and unpredictable changes that include deep personal losses and the ever-shifting roles of career and parenting. Frenes and Sabin co-wrote all of the original songs on the new record that delivers the music in her now familiar acoustic folk-pop style.
"I had worked with Nate on my last two albums, so we have a comfortable trust that allows us to take risks and try new things, creatively," said Frenes. "We recorded the new album at his studio in St. Paul, Minn., building the songs from acoustic demos to full-blown arrangements. We brought in some of my favorite musicians to add layers and color to the tracks, Aaron Fabbrinni (bass), Tyler Burkum (guitar) and David Thulin (keyboard). I'm thrilled with how the project turned out. The music beautifully helps tell the story of my heart during this season. My prayer for this record is that people will feel God's presence and hope all the way through it."
Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores presents the most honest and vulnerable side of Frenes, more so than any other recording in her career. The album launches with "Undreamed Shores," that deals with accepting change instead of resisting it and is the heart of the project. Over the past few years, Frenes has dealt with traumatic circumstances of losing her father and brother within months of each other, losing the family home in the 2007 financial crisis and the unexpected shock of her teenage daughter announcing that she's gay.
"You think you know what the next day, month or ten years will look like, and in a moment something happens that changes everything," explains Frenes. "That's the terror and the beauty of it. Sometimes you go through times that feel like hopeless, dark, dead ends, and they turn out to be passages that lead to a new way of being, or a new understanding. We can't get to that new place without the loving presence of God, who guides us and is our peace in every storm."
The song that Frenes wrote for her children, "Storms," is a perfect example of realizing that difficult times lead to spiritual growth and the Lord will guide them through any uncertain future. Everybody wishes you the sunshine/Like it's magic, some kind of wonder drug/Everybody wishes you more blue skies/Like being happy is good enough/My love, I wish you more/I wish you storms.
Frenes is based in San Francisco and has been writing and recording for several years through her publishing company, Stones Throw Music. Her songs have had placements on The Biggest Loser, America's Next Top Model, Nashville, along with national ads for American Airlines and the Gap and feature films that include the 2016 "Faith of Our Fathers."
Frenes is a former English teacher who loves words, and is an author who released "Flourish: Cultivate, Creativity, Sow Beauty, Live In Color" in 2015. Being an in-demand speaker also, Frenes has developed "Flourish" events in conjunction with the book and they focus on giftedness, nurturing those gifts and finding joy and purpose in life. To keep updated on Frenes' upcoming speaking and performance dates:
www.stacifrenes.com, www.facebook.com/stacifrenes, www.twitter.com/stacifrenes.