“Working On Me”
Zacardi Cortez
From the Blacksmoke Music Worldwide
album Ibhar: The Journey (Chapter 2)
(album release date: November 14, 2025)
Zacardi Cortez’s “Working On Me,” from Blacksmoke
Music Worldwide’s album Ibhar: The Journey (Chapter 2) (released
November 14, 2025), is a gritty, confessional gospel track that showcases his
trademark intensity and vocal firepower. In the song, Cortez cries out to God
for a “brand new start,” seeking spiritual restoration after a series of poor
decisions that “only led to mistakes.” He doesn’t just sing about brokenness in
the abstract; he owns it, turning the lyric into personal testimony. “He’s not
through with me yet,” he proclaims, insisting that he is still a
work-in-progress and urging listeners not to “throw [him] away.”
Vocally, Cortez shouts, squalls, and soars like a seasoned
quartet lead, drawing on the raw emotion that has defined his career since his
early days. Co-written with Christopher Conway and producer Morgan Turner for
Blacksmoke CEO Kerry Douglas, the song fits squarely within the contemporary
gospel tradition of honest, vulnerable testimonies set to powerful, churchy
arrangements. While many first encountered Cortez on his 2012 solo debut The
Introduction, or through his electrifying features on James Fortune &
FIYA’s “The Blood” and “I Believe,” “Working On Me” reminds listeners why he
remains one of gospel’s most compelling voices of confession, hope, and ongoing
transformation.
Robert M. Marovich is the publisher of the Journal of Gospel Music Blog.
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