Ain’t It Nice
On Madison McFerrin and Being Bothered
The flavor of the music is like a smoky mezcal. It’s confident, potent, and carries a commanding fire that makes the spicy lyrics believable. The musical arrangements are an effective use of minimalism. The subject matter sneaks up on because it’s easy to float along on the airy vocal arrangements before the lyrics anchor with their depth. From the opening notes, acapella harmonies introduce the requiem for a relationship and invite you to cross yourself and pray for the departed.
The slow singing and flower brining of the music is intoxicating. This is an album of someone who is clearly bothered but not broken by heartbreak. The allure of the music is that each song has a cadence constructed to carry the lyrics. The harmonies and melodies progress with the smooth precision of a bullet train. Each sentiment shared is a singular moment. Every song is a story. And when woven together, the album has a level of cohesion that is rare in today’s cacophony. Here’s the track by track synopsis:
Heartbreak - It opens with stacked vocals harmonizing in a beautifully ominous manner that promises that the woman will not be scorned. It is as alluring as it is funereal.
Ain’t It Nice - This is the perfect saucy reply to Michael Jackson’s Can’t Help It. The confidence, the cool delivery, the cadence and the blatant acknowledgment that she’s an intoxicating lover is so smooth that it’s sonically mesmerizing.
Fighting for Our Love - This song a breezy you had me fucked up with the uptempo rhythm giving the vibe of someone who has moved well past being bothered to simply remarking on wasted time. It’s the acceptance stage of grief.
Please Forgive Me (Interlude) - Do you remember practicing chords and arpeggios on the piano as a kid? If you’ve never experienced the feeling, this interlude is a dizzy reminder of how this album started, using the simple exercise to remind us of the undercurrent.
I Don’t - The story further unfolds in this track, explaining the why behind the heartbreak. The lyrics make you say oh damn, but the tight groove keeps it from getting too heavy, which is wild considering the subject matter.
Spent - The opening harmonies feel like a seance meant to exorcise a bad ex from the picture. When the rhythm kicks in blending with the bass the song becomes a journey into possibilities of what could have been. The horns fill in any negative space making the music feel vibrant and textured enough to have depth even when the lyrics aren’t overly complicated.
Run It Back - The piano punctuates the lyrics perfectly in a song clearly meant for spin the block season. This isn’t a song about yearning for love, it’s a song about the memory of lust and familiarity that’s refreshingly clear, simple, and direct.
Lesson - Haunting and melancholy this is one of the clear solos on a soundtrack of heartache. The string placements are precise and poignant, playing in counterpoint to simple piano chords that give the music gravitas. There are no harmonies or stacked vocals, it’s just the singularity of loneliness that comes at the absolute bottom of heartbreak at the point where the purpose is to reflect and rationalize.
Blue - This song is the sister to Toni Braxton’s Spanish Guitar. It’s the aftermath of the ended love affair. Shrouded in sadness, the imagery evoked in the lyrics takes you quite literally to the waters edge, bringing the scenes to life and the reverberations of the vocals are as haunting as the departed lover that is the subject of the song.
Over > Forever - This is the only dance track on the album. It’s sure to be a hit a divorce parties, breakup brunches, and every other turn up where people want to forget their significant other. The production is electronic pulsing with programmed drums, synths, and a vibrating bass that invites you to throw two middle fingers up and let it all go.
Your Garden - The harmonies opening up the song are very reminiscent of 90s Alternative music, and the dubstep beat means this song could’ve easily featured on a WB show (full of rain and leather coats) during that era. It’s a song that feels more like an interlude but it passes by so quickly that you don’t have time to be offended.
The End - This is not an I wish you well song, it’s an I wish you hell song, and yet the bridge brings truth the vulnerability of acknowledging that yearning can remain long after love is over.
REDACTED - The bathtub vocal effect takes Run It Back’s opening lines and promises to haunt the jilted lover. It’s spooky and sounds like something sung from the bathtub with a glass of wine.
This project stands out because it feels honest rather than overblown. Like coffee, the lyrics have the potential to be bitter but the overall presentation retains enough flavor and complexity to make it pleasing. She takes the space to speak the truth of people who tire of bad relationships, and don’t want to take the high road. It’s definitely worth running back.
one of my favorite albums of the year!