DC’s own Cecily, two-time Washington Area Music (Wammie) Award Winner, has joined musical forces with fellow Washingtonian and Grammy-nominated singer and producer Muhsinah to present “Spirit Tell Me” the first single from Awakening Pt. 2, Cecily’s eagerly anticipated continuation of the critically acclaimed Awakening. Pt 1, for which the visual EP received Grammy consideration for 2020.
“Muhsinah and I had our first-ever songwriting session just a few weeks before the lockdown began. We wrote “Spirit Tell Me” in about 90 minutes, and we both felt it was a powerful song,” says Cecily. “Due to the pandemic, I had decided to delay releasing any new music until 2021, but I woke up one morning in June in the midst of the global public health crisis, economic uncertainty, and an unprecedented movement for racial justice, I knew this was a song that needed to be shared before the end of the year. I knew that this song of hope was desperately needed especially now.”
“Spirit Tell Me” is an inspirational song, depicting how many of us call on the Divine when we feel stagnant or lost. Trusting Spirit to guide us, we move through our uncertainty, feelings of overwhelm, and self-doubt. By trusting the Divine, we recognize our own divinity and learn to trust ourselves.
Cecily adds, “Sometimes life leads you out into unfamiliar and uncomfortable places, and that's when you lean on trust. I think that's a lesson that 2020 has taught me and many others as well."
All of Cecily’s music and each of her songs tell a story; and when woven together on an album or EP, she delivers the rare and lost art of a concept album. Awakening Pt. 2 interweaves Cecily's life experiences with inspiration from the book All About Love by Black feminist writer bell hooks. Embracing the creativity and power of Black women working together, Cecily reached out to collaborate with Muhsinah, who has written and collaborated with Common, Flying Lotus, Robert Glasper, The Foreign Exchange, and many more. Their fruitful collaboration was “Spirit Tell Me,” which Muhsinah co-wrote and produced.
lyrics
Spirit tell me where to go
Do I have to go alone
Tell me where to go
Cause the world’s too heavy to hold
Spirit tell me where to go
To get myself out this hole
Tell me where to go
Are my dreams too bold?
If you tell me walk a mile I’ll put on my shoes
If you tell me sit awhile I’m right here with you
And if you tell me take your hand and lead me out into place I don’t know
I’ll go
Thank you for the chance
But all this space feels just too big for me
So many things have changes
And it’s not always clear to see
But I’ve chosen to believe
If you tell me walk a mile I’ll put on my shoes
If you tell me sit while I’m right here with you
And if you tell me take your hand and lead me out into place I don’t know
I’ll go
I’ll go
I’ll go
I’ll go
I’ll go
I trust you
I trust you
I trust me too
When you tell me walk a mile I put on my shoes
When you tell me sit awhile I’m right here with you
And if you tell me take your hand and lead me out into a place i don’t know
I’ll go
I’ll go, I’ll go
Oooo Oooo mmmm
credits
released November 11, 2020
Written by C. Bumbray & M. Abdul-Karim
Publishing Companies: Missing Link Music (BMI) & Haveusina Publishing (Sesac)
Production, Arrangements, Piano & Keyboards by Muhsinah Abdul-Karim
Strings: Vaughan Bradley-Willemann (violin), Johnny Walker Jr. (cello), & Sanjay K. Arora (bass)
Recorded by Don Godwin, Tonal Park, Takoma Park, MD
Mixed & Mastered by Dave Darlington, Bass Hit Recording, New York, NY
Cecily is a vocalist and songwriter known for her sweet soprano and honest lyrics. Unmoved by passing trends, Cecily’s sound is rooted in a deep appreciation for mid-century soul and jazz, 90’s R&B, and re-imagined folk music.
This was a random listen for me. "Science" was the first track I heard from this artist - when the bass dropped, I had this in my cart. Never thought I would hear a Neil deGrasse Tyson sample in a song, you blew me right there. nvan92
