MELODY GUY - Real Freedom - 2008
Polly Jack Records
Review Courtesy of Maverick Magazine - Dec. 2008
A contemporary approach to country with rock and soul inflections and a powerful and versatile vocal style.
Melody Guy laid down a marker back in 1995 with the release of ONE SIDED LOVE, but it was three years later when she started to attract a lot of attention to herself with READY FOR THE SUNSHINE. Fans had to wait a further two years for her next album, SHOULDA’ LOVED ME, and in 2002 she earned herself rave reviews for SIGNS OF TROUBLE with a strong recommendation coming from the prestigious Billboard Magazine which said: ‘For tradition, spin Patty Loveless. For soul, pull out your Al Green discs. For a bit more grit, put on Delbert McClinton. Or, save time and get it all with Melody Guy….’ Listening to Melody’s latest release, coming after a six year sabbatical, one must concede that this is a fairly accurate assessment of her approach to her music. She is not a traditionalist, leaning, as she does, towards a thoroughly modern approach. Vocally, she can go from little more than a pleading whisper to a defiant roar, ensuring plenty of variety in this area. Producer, Chris Arms, who plays a big part in her backing. Employs a frenetic electric lead guitar, a more soulful slide guitar, bass, drums and B-3 organ on some of the more driving numbers, where Melody really belts out her song. She plays acoustic guitar and there are a number of extremely satisfying deliveries, which use little, more than her own accompaniment. Apart from being a competent vocalist, Melody demonstrates that she is capable of crafting literate songs, having written or co-written all thirteen featured numbers. Breaking My Own Heart, a frank admission to some of her self-inflicted failures in love. Tell Me I’m Wrong, where she demonstrates the power of her voice as she belts it out with unleashed passion. Freedom and Things You Can’t Take Back, all very much in the contemporary mould, work well for her and should prove popular with the followers of the contemporary scene, which today appears to outnumber those who favour a more traditional approach. For this reviewer, it was the more subdued, largely acoustic sounds, which held the greatest appeal. Numbers like Your Side Of Town, a cheating song, the yearning which comes across convincingly on Ghost Of You. The longing to win a somewhat indifferent lover’s heart on Your Girl (Love Me Like This). The closing and I Go There, track, a plaintive acceptance that she is No Different From The Rest. However, by far and away the hardest hitting song written by Guy must surely be the outstanding Mistakes Like Me. On this, Melody’s voice is little more than a whisper at times as she recounts the outpouring of a young boy’s anxieties as he comes to realise that through his simplicity, the fact that he is not as clever as others. That he struggles with so many things which others of his age can handle effortlessly, all of which have led adults to regard him as a ‘special case,’ leaving him to question what kind of a man he will grow to be. The subject matter is serious. There is no anger, no condemnation, and the listener is left feeling somewhat humbled and perhaps a little ashamed when they think of other little boys they perhaps know personally who suffer the same anxieties, yet whom they too often tend to overlook or ignore. A quite incredible composition delivered perfectly and one which is certain to hit home most forcefully. LK
Laura Bethell
Maverick AAG Publishing Limited
http://www.maverick-country.com
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MELODY GUY - Real Freedom - 2008
By Rebecca Hosking
Let’s turn the lights down and the CD player up so we can get lost in this soft but poignant expedition of vulnerability and strength. Melody Guy has out did herself yet again with “Real Freedom”, going to great lengths to take you on a journey through her mind. Every note sang and chord played tells you about the heart worn on the sleeve of this force that can’t be denied.
Melody has a voice that rings like church bells calling to her congregation to stand up and praise. She can not be placed in any musical category, she has created her own blend and genre of crisp instrumentation and spot on lyrics that leaves nothing for your imagination.
If you ever been a woman scorned or a child mistreated this is just the therapy you need. This album is made with threads of deceit and reconciliation entwined in a blanket of courage and honest humbleness. There is an overall mellow drone through out with a nice mixture of rockin’ angst. But that angst is shared with a childlike susceptibility to forgiveness and gratitude of experience gained through a road of hardships. She proclaims in the song, TELL ME I’M WRONG, that she hasn’t been loved in a long time, well I’m telling her, “she is wrong”, because I have had the pleasure to listen to this album and see her live and I have to say, “Melody you are definitely LOVED!”
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Melody Guy is on a fast track to success and her music shines like a light in a dark room. I highly recommend this CD if you are trying to free yourself of the everyday mundane norm being play on radio today. You can find freedom in Melody Guy’s, REAL FREEDOM!
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20 Underappreciated Songs
www.the9513.com
Matt C | August 31st, 2007
This month, I present the 20 most underappreciated songs of the modern era (1986-present). After recently seeing Bobby Bare in concert and realizing that this immensely talented artist has only one career number one hit, I started thinking of great songs in country music history that have been grossly underappreciated. The songs were ranked based on the discrepancy between their quality and their prominence among the country music audience. Prominence was measured primarily by radio airplay but also included album sales, critical reception and other forms of exposure. Assessment of quality was based solely on my personal opinion.
20. “Strangers” - Martina McBride.
19. “Back When We Were Beautiful” - Matraca Berg.
18. “Down to the River to Pray” - Alison Krauss.
17. “Something Worth Leaving Behind” - Lee Ann Womack.
16. “Fate’s Right Hand” - Rodney Crowell.
15. “My Brother and Me” - Bruce Robison.
14. “Drinkin’ in My Sunday Dress” - Susan Haynes.
13. “If I Don’t Make it Back” - Tracy Lawrence.
12. “Hank’s Cadillac” - Ashley Monroe.
11. “The Red Strokes” - Garth Brooks.
10. “Ghost of a Chance” - Rhonda Vincent.
9. “Old Violin” - Daryle Singletary.
8. “Don’t Tell Mama” - Gary Allan.
7. “The Blues Man” - Alan Jackson.
6. “Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room” - Dwight Yoakam.
5. “Mistakes Like Me” - Melody Guy.
Unfortunately, few have heard this award-winning song. When I heard the first verse, I thought that this was a stark, unabashed abortion protest. Turns out that it’s about a severely mentally handicapped child who, despite the fact that he can’t communicate on a conventional level, can see, hear and feel everything that people are saying about him. In my mind, the two themes are surprisingly parallel. If music is about giving voice to the voiceless, this is music at its very best.
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Music News Nashville - August 2006
By Rebecca Hosking
http://www.musicnewsnashville.com/archives/reviews/2006/melodyguy_signsoftrouble.htm
Melody Guy - Signs of Trouble
Melody Guy is a force to reckon with. She is hitting Nashville like a storm with tight lyrics and driving guitar, telling stories we all know and love. I had the honor of playing a round with her one night. I was blown away, and I was also a bit frightened to play after her. After all, how do you follow a performance like hers? Signs of trouble is a collection of her writing talents, but to see the true divine musical experience she must be seen live!
Signs of trouble is just that. Melody is trouble for anyone trying to make it as a songwriter in the industry today. She is the one you need to top, the competition, the standard we should all be striving for. With songs like All Thats Left Is Me so cleverly written about lost love and being used up, Melody definitely raises the bar. Ouch! I know what your thinking but no one can quite hurt you like Melody Guy does. The title track is backed with rockin music and vocals that border on a resemblance of Melissa Etheridge. The entire CD has precise production and spot on vocals and storylines with attention grabbing hooks. My favorite song on the entire album was Another Teenage Mother. I dont think Ill need to spell that one out for you, but I have never witnessed a story flow the way this one does. I was expecting the entire album to be a lot more country but it turned out to be folksy Americana with an edge. Just grab it for yourself and make your own judgment. There are unexpected turns all over the place that keep you on your toes, make you laugh and cry and celebrate what is going on in Melodys head.
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Theres not much else I can say about this lady except thank you for doing what you do and paving the way for future writers and performers. I hope we will see a lot more in the near future.
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"Melody Guy has found her own groove in the writing department. When Melody sings, the audience is wooed into silence as they listen to her every word."
" Melody brings a fresh approach to country music and possesses a beautiful, plaintive voice that easily conveys her well-crafted songs of love, loss and emotion. At a recent performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Melody received a standing ovation to her song "Mistakes Like Me" written about her son. and stood alongside chart topper Andy Griggs and the legendary Tanya Tucker."
"Melody Guy has a positive and energetic presence and is a powerful, strong performer."
" Melody's incredible energy and fabulous vocal phrasing make her one of the most potent talents on the country music scene today. To see her live is to witness pure magic."
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