Album Review: Maggie Rogers “Heard It In A Past Life”
Maggie Rogers sounds magical. No, its not that you hear literal spells being cast in her debut record, Heard It In A Past Life, but there is a natural humility and earthiness to her sound that makes her feel like a new music genre called “serenity.” Throughout her songs, emotional honesty and exploration are central as she explains what it is to accept you are powerful.
Everyone wants power, but it is not easy to handle. With her rising success and fame, Maggie had to step aside from the limelight, of which Heard It In A Past Life is a poetic summation of her self-observances. Rhythmically, tracks like, “Give A Little,” “Light On,” and “Fallingwater” have kick-drum hooks and beats that bebop behind her. You want to bounce your shoulders as Maggie sings to giving in and learning that submitting to a moment is not resignation. When you give into life, you get a whole new set of perspectives and wisdoms on how to alter it in your favor. Thus, enlightenment and intimacy intertwine through melodies and looped vocals that make Rogers’ voice feel light and affirming.
Rogers becomes a powerful vocalist because she is smart, simple, and clear in how she annotates verses for both their meaning and charm. It is the “OoOoOs” and choral “ahhhs” that people remember and Rogers has both. She feels cool, calm, and collected as she analyzes what love and happiness mean as a strong, powerful woman. “Back In My Body,” “Past Life,” and “The Knife” feel pressed with spirituality, and, the best part, is that Rogers does not have to vocally stretch herself to make you do so sentimentally. From “Overnight” to “Retrogade,” her voice yarns with yearning as beats thread with a subtle danceability.
There are albums that make you break it down on the dance-floor, and then there are albums that make you sway, swoon, and prance around your room like you a pop-star. Maggie Rogers’ Heard It In A Past Life is the latter. I can picture all the young women that are going to grab their hairbrush, like a microphone, and sing, in front of the mirror, to Maggie’s voice as if she “gets them.” Her debut proves sweet vulnerability is a mainstream attraction. To Buy Maggie Rogers’ Heard It In A Past Life On January 18 Click Here.
