The album, which initially was intended to be released as Aquarius Rising, is noted for its usage of vocals, something rarely utilized in his previous recordings.

[6][7] Production for the album began in 1996, and was originally intended to be issued through Simpson's personal Juice Box Records imprint under the title Aquarius Rising.

[8][9] In 1997, Simpson signed onto Island Records and the album was then planned to be issued through them, this however would change as the label's parent company, PolyGram Records, went through a change in chairman and President, which caused artists such as Simpson to be dropped.

[9] Simpson has described the production for the album to be "therapeutic", as it helped him deal with his decision to leave behind Juice Box Records.

During this later stage of production, the album's title would be changed to Essence as Simpson felt it better described how he felt of the tracks being "living entities" that possessed the illusion of obtaining the "essence of life"[10] All tracks are written by Gerald Simpson