released July 29, 2014

Bright Side Of Midnight is a body of work that is intended to express hope! On the surface it’s a blend of jazz standards with a twist and some really funky originals. However, the concept is not only about outlasting the darkness, but also racing toward the light! The difference between p.m. and a.m. can be as small as a second. Though you may not see it yet, your expectation is to see the sun arise out of the darkness. In the midnights of life, we have to maintain the hope of the sun. The bright side of midnight is that the new day has already begun.

aRe- Written By C. Stevens and A. Prawl (Signs Of Life Music LLC, Matrax Productions LLC, ASCAP)
Bright Side Of Midnight- Written By C. Stevens, D. Stevens Jr, A. Prawl, M. Crew (Signs Of Life Music LLC, DonCherylMusic, Matrax Productions LLC & Riothebool, ASCAP)
Maiden Voyage- Written By H. Hancock, Arr. By Vertical Current (Hancock Music, BMI)
So In Love (Feat. Chartel)- Written By C. Stevens, A. Prawl, M. Lewis (Signs Of Life Music LLC, Matrax Productions LLC, Phillyboy Productions, ASCAP)
What The World Needs Now (Feat. Chartel)- Written by H. David & B. Bacharach, Arr. By Vertical Current & M. Lewis, Background vocals arrangements by Christopher Stevens & Shaylah Stevens (Casa David LP, New Hidden Valley Music Co, ASCAP)
Summer Time (Feat. Lee Mo)- Written G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, H. Du Bose, Arr. Vertical Current & M. Lewis (Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund Pub, George Gershwin Music, Ira Gershwin Music, Nokawi Music, ASCAP)
MFV (My Funky Valentine) (Feat. Lee Mo)- Written By R. Rodgers, L. Hart, & D. Blackman, Arr. Vertical Current & M. Lewis, Horns arrangements by Christopher Stevens (Chappell-Co Inc, Williamson Music Co, ASCAP, Black-Man Publishing Company, BMI)
Voice On The Water- Written By C. Stevens, J. Damiani (Signs Of Life Music LLC, Jordan Damiani Music, ASCAP)
Alabaster (Feat. Lee Mo)- Written By C. Stevens, A. Prawl, D. Stevens Jr, B. Mullen (Signs Of Life Music LLC, Matrax Productions LLC, DonCherylMusic, BMullenMusic, ASCAP)
Get Up (Feat. El’Ahmad Barak & Rick Tate Jr.)- Written By C. Stevens, D. Stevens Jr, A. Prawl, B. Mullen. J. Damiani, Horns arrangements by Christopher Stevens & Rick Tate Jr (Signs Of Life Music LLC, DonCherylMusic, Matrax Productions LLC, BMullenMusic, Jordan Damiani Music, ASCAP)
Bright Side Of Midnight (Reprise)/Dawn- Written By C. Stevens, D. Stevens Jr, A. Prawl, J. Damiani, B. Mullen (Signs Of Life Music LLC, DonCherylMusic, Matrax Productions LLC, Jordan Damiani Music, BMullenMusic, ASCAP)
Produced by: Vertical Current (C. Stevens, D. Stevens Jr, A. Prawl, B. Mullen, J. Damiani)
Vertical Current is:
Christopher Stevens- Trumpet/Grits & Oats
Donald C. Stevens Jr- Bass
Brandon Mullen- Drums
Ali Prawl- Keyboards
Jordan Damiani- Guitar/Bgv

Featured Guests:
Chartel Findlater- Vox on “So In Love”/”What The World Needs Now”
Shelia Moser A.K.A Lee Mo- Vox on “Summer Time”/”MFV”/”Alabaster”
El’Ahmad Barak- Vox on “Get Up”
Rick Tate Jr- Alto Sax on “Get Up”
Shaylah Stevens- Bgv on “What The World Needs Now
Mary Harris- Cow Bell/Shaker on “Bright Side Of Midnight”
Aaron Draper- Congas/Timbales on “Bright Side Of Midnight”

Bright Side Of Midnight was recorded and mixed by Steve Mckie at Studio Pine in Philadelphia PA USA
Additional mixing and mastered by Richard A. Waller III at Smackhouse Studios in Philadelphia PA. USA

Album cover design by Vernon James for Vernon Akili

Photo credit:
Ken Duncan for K. Duncan Photography
Jerome Power Neal for Mastermind Enterprise LLC
Aaron "Yikes Lee" Ford for True A.R.T. Ent
Toray Brown for Photoray Photography
Joseph Mobley for JosephJammal
Chris Pierce
Jamilah Damiani
Mike Sanford

Thank you's
Thank you to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom none of this would be possible. Thank you to all of our friends and family for all of your love and support. Thank you to our fans for believing in the music and attending the shows. Thank you to Lou Rogers for giving us our first paid show at the Firehouse Café. Special thank you to our mentor, Eric Roberson for unselfishly sowing into our dream. Special thank you to Donald Robinson for taking a chance on us and helping us record our first EP. Thank you to Steve Mckie for helping us record this, our first full-length album. And to Rich Waller for helping to make this project complete. To Vernon James for the dope artwork. Also, a special thank you to all of our artist friends who have helped us along the way (Derrick Hodge, Jeff Bradshaw, Desiree “Dezzie” Neal, Leah Smith, Jeff Murrell, Steven Walker, Chaz Shepherd, Keturah Duncan). A huge thank you to our sisters, Chartel and Lee Mo for being a part of this journey with us!! And to our featured guests, El’Ahmad; Rick; Mary; A. Drape; and Shaylah your contribution to this body of work has been invaluable!! Thank you so much for sharing your talents with us!! Extra special shout out to our extended family, “Super VC”, for helping us keep the dream going (Brandon Little, Marlon Lewis, Mario Crew, Maurice Fonville, Phil Collier, Troy Chambers Sr, Robin Williams Jr, Dominique Thomas, Walt Nash, Korey Riker, Steve Duffy, Tal Shtuhl, Elijah Thomas, Sam Greenfield, Wes Burke, Aaron Goode, Scott Newcomer, Rick Tate Jr, Brian Kilpatrick, Larry Mack Jr, Mike Clark, Gary Dawkins). From Chris: A very special thanks to my older brother Erik for believing in us and stepping in to help out from time to time, I love you!! The biggest most heartfelt thank you to my mother, Cheryl Stevens, for all you’ve done from selling high volumes of tickets for our shows to filming our shows to letting us rehearse at the house and making dinner for us…I love you very much!! Last but certainly not least, thanks to my amazing wife, Shaylah, for going thru every step of this process with me. Words cannot express how much you mean to me. I will forever be grateful for you and
madly in love with you!!

WE LOVE & APPRECIATE EACH AND
EVERY ONE OF YOU!!

AND IF YOU ARE READING THIS RIGHT NOW, THANK YOU!!!