Album Review: Madison Cunningham Asks Who Are You Now
Ingrid Michaelson and Joni Mitchell don’t know it, but they have a sister named Madison Cunningham. Yes, I am going Maury, and telling them that, on August 16, Madison Cunningham will release an EP, Who Are You Now, that shares their ability to create pop optimism with a folkish flare. In this LP, Cunningham feels vibrantly rustic like walls of wood painted flashy pink, orange, and turquoise. Moreover, like the walls of a home, she knows how to carry a story.
Yes, every song tells a tale and has a message, but Madison has a “Day In The Life” quality to hers. She sings as if she is that “character” looking straight into the camera, on a television show, and telling the unseen audience her feelings about the current scene. Hence, her album has a “subtle” sitcom feel; adding exuberance, sweetness, and a moral ending to every track. Such whole-heartedness derives from Madison’s voice and how she effortlessly captures emotions and details. For her, life can be weighty, but it not, necessarily, a burden.
Madison Cunningham – California (Joni Mitchell Cover)
We have had heard the quote before, “He carries baggage.” As a society, we treat issues and insecurities as if they are something you leave and pick up at an airport baggage claim. To Madison, they are simply things you soar through. Even the biggest issues of life are like corn flakes falling into the milk of your being, eventually they get soggy, shrivel, and oddly make the milk taste sweeter. Thus, tracks like, “Pin It Down, ” “Like You Do,” “Lookin Alive,” and “Trouble Found Me,” reveal resilience is more common of a choice than you think. A lot of times, the strongest thing to do is to continue on.
Madison Cunningham – “Pin It Down” (Official Video)
With melodic chords that seemingly float through the air Mary Poppins’ style, Who Are You Now, makes this question feel a little less scary. In addition, Madison shows the irony of this giant Q? So often, especially relationships, we wonder how our partner has changed by being with us, but, in searching for her/his change, we find our own. Madison Cunningham has changed, like any person, and she has the LP to prove it. Fore More Information On Madison Cunningham and Who Are You Now, coming out August 16, Click Here.
