The MotorCo Durham, NC
Web: madilynmei.com
Contact: [email protected]
Players: Madilyn Mei, vocals, ukulele; Scrawny, guitar, keys, laptop, accordion
Material: Over the course of the show, Miss Mei flashed her considerable stage chops, taking the adoring audience of “True Believers” through 14 well-balanced and expertly crafted vocal pieces as a seamless soundscape, rather than a collection of teen pop. She can’t help it: her gorgeous vocals took each song and wrapped it up tight and smart, and then tied with a bow. Being from Arizona, this draws immediate comparison to the fabulous Linda Ronstadt, and she’d be Sun-Devil proud, too, as Miss Mei’s voice made short, wonderful work of it by delivering her best material with poise and aplomb!
“Call Me The Bard” was a perfect opener, and she rolled right on through the set which just got better and better with each note. “Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing” sat in the middle of the show-set, leading into “Garden Jargon,” “Never The Muse,” which seems to name-check the Inspirational Goddesses of Ancient Greece, and “Tho(sic) I’m a Tortoise,” wrapping it up with “Milk Carton.”
Musicianship: Finally, someone comes through town who isn’t confusing volume with value, and eschews excess and the cult of over-production, unafraid to let the music stand naked before you, relying only on their writing and the quality of the material to win you over. It takes a confident, secure artist to pull it off, and Madilyn Mei did exactly that.
Performance: Lyrically, her presentation was flawless, highly polished but with an “aw, shucks, off-handedness” that made it accessible and easy on the eyes and ears. On a big stage, it was just herself and her multi-instrumentalist human accompanist Scrawny providing musical support and vocals at just the right time. It was like being on a bus driven by 10-12 year olds wearing elf ears and capes with their parents watching the doors. But I loved it, and so did her audience.
Summary: This artist has a future so bright it hurts your eyes. The youngish crowd and even moms went bashi-bazooks for Mei. The simple fact is that, unlike so much today in a world on the eve of destruction, she delivered a positive, embraceable message through a kaleidoscope of deceptively simple songs and emotionally intelligent content.
