K. Sparks - Stolen

Child molestation is a subject that most artists stay far away from, and that’s probably for the best—those who attempt to tackle the topic without a full understanding of its painful and complex consequences are more likely to trivialize the issue and insult the victims than to shed any light on the matter.  On the 51st entry in his Manic Mondays series, K. Sparks takes his biggest artistic risk to date, spitting the stories of two young girls whose innocence was Stolen by sexual predators in their own families.  Big Drew‘s string-driven production and Julius Francis’ mournful hook vocals carry much of the track’s emotional weight, while Sparks keeps a bit more distance, layering on the characterization as he brings both scenarios to their bleak (yet all-too-realistic) conclusions.  Chilling without being exploitative or overly sentimental, Stolen is—to say the least—quite an accomplishment, and will likely be remembered as one of Manic Mondays’ standout tracks.  If you haven’t circled August 24th on your calendar, do it now—next Monday, Sparks will bring his epic, 12-month series to a close with the release of entry #52.