The Heart in The Stone.

With the tenacity of a narrator and a poet's eye for detail in the everyday, words cut through noise, opening doors to Kofi Stone's world. An adoption of grit and grace where survival morphs into art, each track serves as a brushstroke on a canvas revealing a continuous picture.

Stone’s verses are anything but ordinary. They’re precise, crafted to layer unplugged emotions, a hint of irony all delivering an honesty that lingers long after the music stops. The submission feels intentional, spoken with a mind that doesn’t just observe life but studies it closely, taking notes, finding double meanings in the details. Stories woven like a spider's web from the fabric of his own accounts - parables of survival that neither glorify nor hide the hardships but instead reveal them just as they are, no sugar coating, no frosting.

The production is equally intentional. The album - jazzy undertones and unrefined beats that conjure a backdrop as textured as his lyrics. It’s a musical panorama that moves between timeless and present, blending genres into a unique aesthetic. Here, melodies don’t just accompany his words; they ground them, creating a space where inner cartography meets rhythm, each note anchoring his storytelling as it bounces between light and shadow.

Stone’s storytelling feels innately cinematic, each track playing out like a scene from a film where the protagonist speaks not only to an audience but also to himself, mapping the realities of what recent life has been like for Stone.

In verses like "Lately I been crying more than usual, My apologies if this just wasn't suitable." This ‘apology’ finds its voice in 'You’ll Be Okay' the album’s 11th track, where he opens the door into a history of pain:

"Me and pain got some history, Plus I know his little brother misery, I think I'm addicted I was in it deep.

God smiles when a sinner sleeps, Lost my bredrin he was twenty-five, Suicide, it was suicide.

Thought he was good, He had the truest eyes, But it was lies."

His voice holds the striking inflection of an inner monologue spoken aloud, capturing the modulation of everyday life where dreams and struggles walk hand in hand.

'May Sound Crazy' features a collaboration with the late Poet, novelist and playwright Benjamin Zephaniah.

Every syllable depicts personal history and collective identity; “We come to raise your consciousness so people gather round” echoes the album’s call for awareness and unity. 'Black Joy' pirouettes along the precipice of cultural pride, a vibrant tribute to strength that shines brightly amid societal challenges.

Stone found inspiration for this album within the pages of King David, a figure marked by determination and the complexities of human experience. Stone’s journey towards understanding his faith parallels his songwriting process, making the album an accessible entry point for others on their own paths of self-discovery through storytelling, thoughtful lyrics and powerful production.

Each track on the album contributes to a multicoloured narrative that represents the intricate dance of struggle and triumph threaded through generations. Stone’s growth as a lyricist can be described similar to a well-crafted mixtape absorbed during road trips with his father—into a narrative style that’s idiosyncratically his own.

Listening to Stone, there’s a distinct sense of lineage, as if each track acknowledges the voices that came before him—lyricists who turned poetry into a form of survival, who used vocal expression to reflect the tension between aspiration and reality. And yet, his voice is uniquely his own, a raw and resonant sound that manages to echo legends without ever imitating them. Stone’s music feels like a conversation, each track speaking to us in a way that is both universal and uniquely intimate. 

'A Man After God’s Own Heart' carries a special kind of weight, inviting listeners to engage with the words, to find themselves in the stories, to see the world through a lens that is unapologetically, confidently real. This feels like an album that will be passed down through generations, feels like a voice for the voiceless or those who may not have a vocal in their own world.

"Heart posture is very important. I wanted to create something that helps people to look within. I think if we’re forced to work on ourselves, ultimately the world will become a better place for us all.” Words by Kofi Stone.