Christian artist to perform at album-release concert

Christian recording artist Stephanie Staples says that as she has matured, so has her music.

The 22-year-old Evans resident has done much of that maturing on the road, touring as far away as New Zealand, China, Italy and Costa Rica in recent years. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, she will perform much closer to home with an album-release concert at Serendipity on Washington Road in Evans.

The free performance will feature songs from her second full-length album, titled Face to Face, which Staples released in July. She will also play tunes from her previous album, Breathe on Me.

"I feel like it (Face to Face) shows I've grown a lot as an artist ... in the way the songs are written," she said. "The whole dynamichas changed because it's been three years (since Breathe on Me) and as you grow up you learn more. Styles change, my voice has changed a little bit and I feel like I know who I am more."

Staples describes Face to Face as mellow but uplifting and said her show is perfectly suited to a coffeehouse environment. Staples wrote all 10 tracks and performed the lead vocals, piano and some guitar.

There is a simple message through her music, Staples said.

"There's a God in heaven that cares about your needs and no matter how great the suffering you've encountered," she said. "He is there and he will give us the strength that we need to keep going."

The album's title track, Face to Face, is a song Staples wrote about a 13-year-old girl who lost her battle with a brain tumor. Staples said she was inspired by the girl, who in her last days was prepared to die.

The feeling of loss is something listeners can relate to, she said.

For now, Staples said, she is gearing up for more touring. According to her Web site, she has shows lined up at several Borders bookstores throughout the Southeast, Midwest and Texas.

"I've done a lot of traveling over the past several years, but we're about to hit the road even harder than we had in the past," she said, adding she will soon set to work on a third album. "I feel like I'm ready, and being 22 years old I think it's time."