Event

James Maddock

"I want to find a truth that resonates," Maddock says of his new work, and we are better for his efforts. While Another Life, which is a collection of pop gems, luscious ballads, and rootsy Americana, is not entirely autobiographical, its arrangements and overall execution feel so intimate that it functions as such. Here is an artist with an uncanny understanding of the full range and complexity of human emotion and experience not unlike contemporary impresarios of the downtown NYC singer-songwriter scene, Grammy Award winners Norah Jones and Jesse Harris. The more personal Maddock gets, the more universal his message becomes. "I've Been There Too," one of the album's many radio-friendly singles, feels like an endearing consolation to the listener who can't help but become the friend on the other side of a telephone call or an earnest conversation. And "Better on My Own" is the letter to the self that we all can relate to. Throughout Another Life, Maddock employs his soulful delivery and poetic lyricism in a deeply reflective collection of songs that refuse to be anything but sincere and honest, which is a refreshing change from a contemporary musical landscape infused with irony and bitter wit.