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Song Review: Maddy Carty – Make Me Mad

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Singer-songwriter Maddy Carty hails from South London and is a graduate of Leeds College of Music as well as a former student at BRIT School. Carty set about to form her own band and record her debut album after graduating and returning to London.

Her debut album Come And Get It was released in 2015 and preceded by two singles off the album, Come And Get It and Get It Right. The full-length album received support from BBC London, BBC6, Radio1xtra, and others. Carty has released and been featured on many other singles since then. Her feature track from 2017, Got No Love, has been championed on Radio 1 by Mistajam and DJ Target.

She writes her own material and cites artists Tracy Chapman, Van Morrison, and India.Arie who inspire her. She has played The Brooklyn Bowl with Maxi Priest, supported Norman Jay and Madness at House of Fun Festival, and performed at The Scoop for More London festivals and venues The Troubadour, and Ronnie Scott’s.

Carty is currently working on a new project as well as writing for others. Her latest single, “Make Me Mad”, was released on August 7th.

“Make Me Mad” is a breath of fresh air from the same old pop songs you hear in both its originality and execution.

First off, the song’s intro is neither long nor short. In fact, there is none. It’s Carty’s commanding voice that opens the song right away accompanied only by a bright keyboard. She owns the moment and from this point on you are guaranteed to be captivated.

Her voice has a silky smooth but strong texture that rides effortlessly along the soundscape of the upbeat melody and challenging phrase-packed verses. You can really feel the tension build to a breaking point as she checks off with passion all the annoying things her lover does that get under her skin. However, this dressing-down isn’t heading toward a typical chorus climax.  

It is in the pre-chorus where the lyrics start to brilliantly diffuse and turn around the situation. Then paired with heavy percussion and electronic background vocals, Maddy switches gears with the lyrical reveal in the chorus. She demonstrates a quiet power in her effortless vocals and you can actually feel the shift in her emotional delivery. The unique drawn-out emphasis on the word “you” at the end of each verse in the chorus will have you singing along.

The bare-bones arrangement of the song gives Carty the perfect platform to showcase her professional vocal prowess. You won’t hear an overpowering pop melody that often upstages a vocalist. “Make Me Mad” is well crafted, polished, and evokes a relatable, emotional tale of inner turmoil most of us have experienced.

Lyrically strong, “Make Me Mad” is a cleverly written reminder that we all have someone we love who drives us crazy. But we know deep down it’s the strength of their redeeming qualities that make us stick around.

Highly Recommended. Maddy Carty delivers a knockout combination of being both an exceptional vocalist and songwriter and is destined for a great career as an artist. She should definitely be put at the top of your watchlist and her music on your playlist.

Watch here as Maddy performs live a beautiful stripped down version of “Make Me Mad” that further demonstrates her talent.    

You can purchase the new single here on iTunes which is part of her new 4 track EP of the same name. The EP offers up an album version and a radio edit of “Make Me Mad”, as well as two cool remixes by DJ/Producer Dirty Secretz.

For more information check out Maddy Carty’s website here.

Follow Maddy on Social Media:

Instagram: @maddycartymusic

Twitter: @maddycartymusic

Facebook: maddycarty

Soundcloud: maddy-carty  

YouTube

Music Video Review: Kamryn Marie – Party Like Bob Marley

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Kamryn Marie / Photo courtesy of The Marketing Mixtape

Kamryn Marie’s new single, ‘Party Like Bob Marley’, was released on August 3, following the May 2018 launch of her full-length album As Is and three previous singles. “Standing In The Way”, “Together”, and “Second Best” each received press and radio attention worldwide.

Singing and performing began early for singer/songwriter Kamryn, beginning with her first performance at age 6 of “These Boots Were Made For Walking” for her kindergarten class. She would go on to play for the first time and compete in several Battle of the Bands as a middle schooler at the 930 Club in Washington, D.C.  Kamryn would then proceed to appear in high school musicals such as Footloose, The Wizard of Oz, and High School Musical, but after high school she opted to take a break from singing. Being inspired through the emotional experiences of life, she felt it was time to make her first album in 2016.

Kamryn’s music integrates EDM/Dance music’s electronic elements with traces of pop in the melody and lyric. Yet her love of country/pop hybrids has influenced some of the new songs on her upcoming album. She also draws inspiration from artists such as Cassadee Pope, Jana Kramer, Lauren Alaina, Maren Morris, and Kacey Musgraves.

The official music video for “Party Like Bob Marley” was released on August 10th.

I recently asked Kamryn her about her new video including the concept, where it was filmed, and more.

What is the concept behind the video for “Bob Marley?”

The song “Party Like Bob Marley” was written about letting loose and leaving your worries behind for a bit. This concept was super fun to shoot a video for. Everyone in it enjoyed themselves and were able to be themselves instead of following a script. We wanted that natural vibe that you would get at a party, and I think we achieved it.

Who helped come up with the concept for the video?

My amazing lyricist and teammate Shea helped write the lyrics for the song and I also had some assistance from Daniel from Ovrbord Media, who filmed the video, and my partner in crime, Whitney, in determining the details for the video. Right away after the song was written and I heard that first idea for a melody I knew a music video would be taking place. It is such a catchy song and really makes you want to get up and dance.

Where was the video filmed?

The video was filmed at Bridge Studio in Richmond, Virginia. The rapper that is featured on the single, Profisi Kev, drove down from Atlanta to be a part of the video as well. Everything came together so much better than I was expecting.

Who are some of the people in the video?

There is myself, Profisi Kev, my makeup and hair artist Brittany Janine even assisted in a couple of shots, and we had some extras. Everyone did an incredible job and really made this video spectacular. I am so excited to be able to share it with everyone.

What do you want people to know about the video/or song?

This is definitely a Summer party song that I guarantee will be stuck in your head. The tune is so catchy! The single released Friday, August 3rd anywhere you get your music and the music video is set to release Friday, August 10th! I could not be more excited.

VIDEO REVIEW

Kamryn likes to capture the attention of her listeners and this video and song do just that. The song has elements of pop but an overall EDM/dance melody sprinkled with some cool rap, that has your body moving throughout. The message is to leave all your worries behind and have a good time with your friends.

The video effectively captures the essence of the song using bare essentials, eliminating the need for jumping around to different location scenes. There’s no distraction from what is taking place enabling the scenes to play out the song’s storyline in an entertaining way.

For example, Kamryn wakes up late for work, finding herself on a floor in a white space, surrounded by colorful confetti. A disembodied hand holds out a jacket for her and she’s good to go. Anyone know where you can hire one of these? The work scene is also in white space with Kamryn sitting at a computer but clock watching and tossing paperwork. Must be those 10 cups of coffee kicking in. Last, of all, you have the party scene confined to a room with only a couch and Kamryn and her friends dancing and having fun.

Then there is Profisi Kev who adds a great Bob Marley vibe with the rap portion in the chorus and bridge. And don’t miss the dance routine rocked by dancers Elijah “X-Glide” Fulgham, Colin Dillard, Roberto “Aero” Whitaker, VersaStyles and Austin Williams from Dancers of Subjective Dance Club Virginia.

If you’re looking for a catchy song to continue the festive feeling of summer, then “Party Like Bob Marley” is definitely for you.

You can buy “Party Like Bob Marley” on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, and Google Play

Stream the single on Spotify

Follow Kamryn Marie on social media:

Instagram: @kamrynmarieofficial 

Twitter: @K_Marieofficial

Facebook: kamrynmarieofficial

YouTube

Song Review: Mariah Belgrod – Empty Spaces

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Mariah Belgrod - Empty Spaces
Mariah Belgrod – Empty Spaces / Photo courtesy of Focal Productions

Pop/EDM artist Mariah Belgrod embarked on a 3,000-mile coast-to-coast journey earlier this year when she moved from her native farm town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania to the city life of Seattle, Washington. It is in Seattle where she is pursuing her dream of becoming a professional recording artist.   

Mariah’s passion for music began at a very young age when she performed at the Fulton Opera House. She decided after years of live performances to explore the online music scene. As a result, she discovered Smule, the karaoke-style mobile app that allows users to sing with artists or duet with their friends. She rose to fame on the social singing app, acquiring over 100,000 followers, and nominated by Smule for the Social Star Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2018 which she attended in March. Mariah is now a verified partner artist on Smule.

Mariah’s music goals include a tour and experiencing the world. She hopes to inspire herself to accomplish these with her debut album the same way she hopes to influence young women and men – to embrace the idea of thriving on your passion and not be afraid to follow a life path outside of the norm.

Traveling between Seattle and the Bay Area to Focal Productions, Mariah recorded her first single, “Empty Spaces” which was released in March of this year. Mariah is currently working with the production house to record her upcoming debut album.

Alyssa Wendzel, the songwriter of “Empty Spaces”, explains its strong social message – “It’s a song I wrote to empower women stuck in bad relationships, and to give hope to those who have just escaped one.”

“Empty Spaces” is an energetic dance song that will not only have you moving to the captivating melody after the first verse. The meaningful but catchy chorus will have you singing along with gusto. Mariah’s silvery voice brings to the song a fierceness that drives home the lyrics word by word in her powerful delivery. 

The song opens with a soft synth accompanied by a brief voice echo/manipulation. It then heads into whispering synth/keyboard notes with an edge. Mariah’s strong vocals powerfully punctuate each word varying effortlessly from husky, low notes to higher notes in almost a sing-song rhythm leading up to the chorus.

In the almost acapella style chorus, the synth provides a quiet warming backdrop from which Mariah launches into the first verse. This really showcases her beautiful vocals before the drop of percussion and synth/keyboards that ramp up loudly to the quick bridge. Rinse, repeat.

This is at the point where the dance beat gets you moving and the chorus the second time around will have you automatically singing loudly along. The entire arrangement is beautifully done as not to overpower but to place Mariah’s wonderful vocals front and center. 

The song winds down with an interlude of energetic synth and percussion with Mariah’s voice floating inside the melody. It slowly winds down after the last verse followed by the last chorus as her electronically altered vocals get wrapped up in the synth. Before you can get too much into it, Mariah’s vocals and the last note abruptly and sharply end and you will find yourself hitting replay immediately.

Highley Recommended. Mariah Belgrod has demonstrated with her first single that she has a bright future as an artist. Her powerful voice coupled with an angelic quality really brings passion and power to the song’s lyrics and will captivate you from the very first note. The anticipation for her forthcoming album will undoubtedly be high.

Buy “Empty Spaces” on iTunes 

Stream “Empty Spaces” on Apple Music  and on Spotify 

Listen to the Official Audio for “Empty Spaces”:

 

Follow Mariah on social media:

Smule: MariahBelgrod

Instagram: mairahbelgrod

Facebook: mariah.belgrod

Twitter: MBelgrodxoxo

Youtube

Get more information about Mariah on her website

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