There's a sound. The one you make when your spirit is open, your mind
focused, your heart receptive and your body more than willing. It's the sound of
liberation. Experimentation of hip-hop, rock and whatever lies in between. Of
pushing your boundaries to the absolute brink and then laying back in the cut,
only to push them a few inches more. It's sound of passion, purpose, and the
knowledge that, no matter what, you are gonna play this game by your gut, not by
the rules, because, in the end, those instincts and a fly pair of shoes are all you
can really count on.
St. Juste knows that sound. And she lets it burst free and rip, in all
its glory and glee, on The Confession Booth, her Pitch Black Entertainment
debut. Filled with guitars, beat boxes, melodies, insight, banging rhythms in your
face attitude and sexy sass, The Confession Booth is a bold statement from a
woman who is not afraid to make them. "I wanted to give people a blueprint of
who I am," St. Juste explains, "and since I grew up Catholic, the confession booth
was always a place where you bared your soul. So this album is a way to give
folks a brief excerpt of my life my background and my creativity."
That life begins in Boynton Beach, Florida. St. Juste's parents were Haitian
immigrants who were brought together through an arranged marriage, which fell
apart by the time St. Juste was born. She, the youngest of three, and her siblings
were raised by a mother who, despite a strict convent upbringing, had an artistic
bent. "There was always music in the house," St. Juste recalls. "It was one of the
things that helped me to shape my world."
That world was one of strict rules, firm discipline, religious studies and an
emphasis on getting an education and becoming something important like a
doctor or a lawyer. St. Juste had a rebellious streak and as she grew up, that
streak became more pronounced as she began to reject the expectations that
her loving mother (and society) had for her. Music began to take on a greater
importance and she began singing though she admits, "It was a private thing.
People didn't even know that I sang because I really didn't sing in front of crowds
and was very shy about that aspect of my creativity."
In school St. Juste sang in the choir, was in the school band, and studied theater.
In the late 90's, it was her love of drama that brought her to New York City, where
she landed a role in a play produced by the National Black Theater. She quickly
adapted to the life of an actor in NYC, going on auditions, and working a series of
dead end office gigs in order to keep afloat in between gigs. She enjoyed work
in a number of plays including productions overseas and gained acceptance into
a London based theater program affiliated with Oxford University. After
completing the program St. Juste returned to NYC, where, under the name
"Margie St. Juste," she secured a small role as "Alexandria Beaumont" in the
1997 indie film Hav Plenty, which helped her to earn a SAG card.
In 2002, St. Juste was introduced to Pitch Black Entertainment (Hakim Young
and Jermaine Mobley) who signed her to a production deal and began working
with her on what would become The Confession Booth.
Heavily influenced by legends Janis Joplin and Tina Turner, as well as
underground singers like Tamar Kali and Imani Uzuri, St. Juste was emphatic that
the songs she and Pitch Black collaborated on display "a person who is not
afraid to feel. I am a strong woman, but I'm also vulnerable, but that
doesn't mean I am weak. I just wanted to have the songs that would inspire all
people." The studio sessions were intense, reflective, and rigorous, but ultimately
the hard work paid off.
The Confession Booth's first single is the hard-hitting and rhythmically charged "5
Dollars." Cut from a slice of all-too-real-life, "5 Dollars" captures that lowdown
time when all you've got in the world is what's in your pocket. The song was
inspired by a rough patch St. Juste went through when she was "broke, hot as
hell and knew I had to write this all down."
Another rugged track is "Rider" set to an off-kilter, hip-hop inflected beat, the
song celebrates everyone who really wants something out of life and those who
refuse to let anything stand in the way of their dreams. As St. Juste breaks it
down, "It's about the human spirit not wanting to conform or be contained."
" They told me I should smile. 'Hey girl you talk
too loud.' "
Equally heartfelt, "Validation," A love song to the disenfranchised, "Validation"
is "me in a nutshell," says St. Juste. "It's about me always being the wild child
and not being able to fit in but still staying true to yourself." On a more playful
sexy tip is "Big Shoes," which showcases St. Juste's naughty sense of humor
and is a song all the ladies will understand.
With emotional lyrics and rock steady grooves, The Confession Booth is feisty
and fraught with feelings It's a record that St. Juste hopes "will inspire people to
know that it's ok to explore and experiment while staying true to yourself."
