- Bryon Harris
Born to Sing Country, Madelyn Victoria Makes Texas Proud
Madelyn Victoria was born and raised in the deep south of Texas. She has been winning talent competitions, pageants, and the hearts of country fans ever since she was a young girl. Her training started in the church, as a lead singer, then she went onto Barbizon School of Talent and all the way to New York where she dazzled the judges at the Modeling Association of America’s International Competition, taking first prize as a vocalist. Selected by Radio Disney Superstars, she was part of the opening act for pop boy band The Jonas Brothers and along with her band, she has opened for some of the biggest names in country music including Easton Corbin, Turnpike Troubadours, Tracy Lawrence, Kevin Fowler, Clay Walker, Josh Thompson, Dustin Lynch, Zac Brown Band, The Charlie Daniels Band, and more. Polished, talented, and ready for commercial radio and concert halls, Madelyn’s accolades keep coming in and she could very well be the next reigning star of Country music with a Texas twist!
Her self-titled EP will certainly make Texas proud. The EP opens with “Hold On,” a song that knows what good country songwriting is all about. The opening starts with an eight-bar guitar arpeggio then enters a good old-fashioned twangy guitar lead that takes you into a solid country-rock groove complete with fiddle and slide guitar. And then the moment we are waiting for arrives. Madelyn starts singing and her voice is everything you hoped it would be. She was born to sing country and possesses a warm, alto timbre that sounds earthy, natural and inviting. And by inviting, I mean that this is a song that could be playing on country radio in everyone’s living room. She’s the beautiful girl next door and you can hear her smile when she sings. The chorus of this song is excellent. "Hold on to what we have. Hold onto nothing bad. Hold onto what we have right now. Don’t let this moment give in to this beautiful sin. It’s worth every second living it out. Just hold me now.” She goes onto to sing about a “grander plan” that is in her heart and soul. It’s clear that Madelyn is an artist who lives by her values and writes music that resonates with her spiritual beliefs.
The second song is “Breaking My Heart Again.” Madelyn takes you straight to the traditional country dance floor with this tune. It has a fun, up-tempo swing with tasteful guitar leads, a great walking bass line, and fine fiddle playing throughout. Madelyn delivers another strong chorus with vocals that will charm your socks off. The band shines on this tune, trading leads with tight musicianship, and the production and mix is just right.
I’m going to break from the song tracks for just a moment to give some overdue praise to the band on this EP. In country music, it’s easy to focus on the singer, but to really put out a great album, the musicians have to be equally talented and the band’s delivery matches its lead singer. The musicianship is stellar, providing Madelyn with fantastic tracks to sing to. These are studio-level players and they deliver on every song with tight and tasteful rhythms and leads. The balance, the production, the mix – it’s of the highest caliber throughout. So, bravo to the band.
The next song is my favorite on the EP. On “He Only Loves Me on the Dance Floor,” Madelyn shows that she can flawlessly carry an emotional ballad. It’s a gorgeous song that is performed with grace and beauty. There is an honesty that fans will relate to. “I need to leave. Look at him staring at me. I’m walking on Temptation Street." I know his thoughts. They’re saying come back to me and I can’t help it if I get lost.” Madelyn put out a great video to go with this song where she strums a little guitar and takes you through the story.
Are you ready for a wild ride? Madelyn and her band are ready to take you on one. “Wild Ride,” the fourth track on the EP, lives up to its title. Here Madelyn gives a Shania Twain like performance and she rocks it out like a pro. The band rocks it too with great hammer-on guitar riffs and solos, spot on percussion, and some synth work. It’s an up-tempo that’s a lot of fun. All the elements are there to get audiences up on their feet and singing along in solid country anthem form. Towards the end, the song drops to a cut-time tempo and Madelyn adds some production effects to her voice, sounding a little synth-pop for a moment, inviting you to sing and clap along. This song is a definite crowd pleaser. It shows off every one of its players; Madelyn’s vocals sore, the musician’s prove that they can jam out and the producer delivers get a commercially viable and contemporary country sound.
“Sand in a Bottle” is the final cut off the EP and Madelyn scores a 5 out of 5 here. Every single song on this EP is great. “Sand in a Bottle” is a bit more delicate. It’s gorgeous. She sings, "Oh and the gentle breeze, I can only see you and me. Sand in a Bottle, swirls of you and me in a paper tapestry. Sand in time. Years pass and you’re still mine.” It’s a sentimental piece that is perfect for her warm voice.
I can only see one path for Madelyn Victoria and that is straight to the top if she plays all her cards right. She’s got the beauty and the stage presence, a great band, and a voice that’s down-to-earth and appealing; most importantly, shes a very good songwriter who knows how to write a hook. If I could make a wish for this EP, it would be more vocal harmonies and perhaps for Madelyn to expand her vocal range because I know she's capable of it. I'd love to hear her hit some high notes. In the future, I’d love to see Madelyn come out with a full CD which would prove (not that she needs to prove it to me) that she’s a songwriter that is here to stay.
Madelyn is role model for her fans and an artist who will probably never forget her roots no matter how far the road takes her. She gives back to her community by volunteering at Motor Training events for special needs children; she sings to children at hospitals and rehab centers and she is starting her own annual event called "Octave Higher Christmas" for children. On the radar for Madelyn is an extensive tour, the Nashville Universe Awards and a brand new single and video on the way.
Fans can purchase Madelyn Victoria's EP on iTunes.