Margaret Rose Durante is now known as Maggie Rose. It has a nice ring to it. But of more importance is her debut album as Maggie, "Cut to Impress", released a few months ago. It sure impressed me - and I doubt that I'm alone in loving this cd. I've played it through over 25 times now and I'm getting to like it more and more. The reviews I've read have been very good. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave it 4 1/2 stars, describing the album as a mighty impressive collection of songs, tempo driven with a few ballads mixed in. He describes Maggie as a soulful vocalist with a fresh, modern and clearly country sound. I have to agree on all counts - although I would add that fans of other genres may find it equally enjoyable.
If I agree with Matt, you may ask yourself why am I writing this? I'm doing it for a select audience of 1 - me. Got to keep the old brain active to stave off senility, alzheimer's, etc. Between coffee, reading, blogging and a reasonable amount of physical activity I hope to make it to the century mark and beyond. It would also be good if anyone reading this would purchase Maggie's cd. If she sells enough, hopefully she will keep on making albums for my enjoyment, a selfish motive I admit.
Here are the ten track titles with songwriters in parenthesis, lyric samples and maybe a short comment:
1. Preacher's Daughter (Connie Harrington & Maggie) a bluesy story of the murder of the preacher's daughter. The deacon done it.
"Through her tangled hair they could see
She was missing one earring
Found the other in the back seat of the car
Of the deacon that couldn't have her."
2. Mostly Bad (Jim Wes & Maggie) a sassy, sexy, uptempo tune.
"I'm a little good, a little bad, but mostly bad"
"I can be a saint if you want me to
But I will make a sinner out of you
'Cause I'm not about to wear that dress if it's not cut to impress"
3. Fall Madly in Love with You (Douglas Showalter, Camaron Ochs & Samuel Johnson) another, sassy up beat song.
"Gave him my number and waited a week for the call
When he finally did I told that boy straight-up
(Aren't we tired of playing these games?) (spoken quickly)
All I wanna do is skip all the rules and the hoops
And fall madly in love with you"
4. I Know Better Now (Lisa Carver & Maggie) he's not the one and she's better off.
"If you'd have called the other day
Well this could have gone the other way
And I'd be somewhere up against your skin
But Heaven sent a little grace
And I woke up in a different place
And I ain't goin' back where I've been"
5. Put Yourself in My Blues (Stephony Smith, Lisa Carver & Shelly Fairchild)
"Do some time in this bittersweet hell
That I'm walkin' through
Put yourself in my blues
Oh, put yourself in my blues"
6. Better (Candy Cameron, Deanna Bryant & Dave Berg) her current single. she doesn't want the bottle.
"I just want to feel good, feel alright
Feel anything but what I feel tonight
I just want to move on with my life
And put the pieces back together
I just want to feel better"
7. I Ain't Your Mama (Candy Cameron & Judson Spence) her first single as Maggie. Again, sassy, sexy.
"Gonna make you stop, gonna make you wanna watch me do the laundry
Gonna put some fun back in this ho-hum honey
Gonna be so hot you'll think it oughta cost you money"
8. Looking Back Now (Lisa Carver) don't mess with a girl holding whiskey and a gun.
"Looking back now I probably should've let him run
Paybacks are hell where I come from"
9. Hollywood (Brandy Clark, Stephony Smith & Shelly Fairchild) a fun comparison of two towns.
"They call it Hollywood
It's not far from Dollywood
Just small towns with a different name
Dysfunctions, dysfunction
No matter what state you come from
It might as well be one and the same"
10. Goodbye Monday (Raquel Wynn, Natalie Murphy, Cade Doyle, Sarah Tomek, Jason Waters & Maggie - 6 songwriters?) she's gonna burn this mother down.
"Looks like all work, no play
Same thing everyday
Sometimes I wonder who I'm working for
And then I think
Goodbye Monday
Weekend's coming fast"
Good luck Maggie. Hope you sell a few million copies.
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