In 2013, Maggie Rose emerged as one of the more traditional new country stars, with her singles "I Ain't Your Mama," "Better" and "Looking Back Now." Her debut record Cut to Impress is a more traditional-minded country record, with the extensive use of fiddle and other country instrumentals as well as some pop-influenced hooks, somewhat like Maddie & Tae'sdebut record. Last summer, she began releasing new songs as part of her "Tomato Tuesday" music release program, in which she released new songs every Tuesday. The songs ranged from country tracks, to the poppiest of pop songs. This was the first taste of the new Maggie Rose sound.
Change can be a shock, and it was a bit of a shock to see the drastic change in the sound of Rose's music. But even though The Variety Show Vol. 1 sounds very different from Cut to Impress, it's not a drastic change when it comes to lyrical content.
Confidence is a big topic addressed on this EP, and it is present in the lyrics as well as the production of most of the songs. "Inevitable" is the obvious choice for the most confident song, and it echoes some of the themes in Rose's breakout hit "I Ain't Your Mama," while building on it as well. Rose declares that she was born to be an artist an songwriter, and chants "it's inevitable" in the poppy arrangement. It's a great way to kick off the EP, and establishes that she's the same girl who sassed it up with "I Ain't Your Mama" three years ago, just with a more poppy and glossy coating.
But even in the ballad "Love Me More" and the new single "Same Sky," that underlying message of girl power is still there. "Same Sky" is a song that is pretty much genre-less, but the great country songwriting mixed with the pop-leaning production and the way Rose's vocals shine highlight all of Rose's skills. "Love Me More" is tied with the closing track "Broken" for best song on the EP, and it even has been receiving a bit of airplay on Sirius XM The Highway, proving that emotional songs sometimes have more impact than any other songs.
Confidence is a big topic addressed on this EP, and it is present in the lyrics as well as the production of most of the songs. "Inevitable" is the obvious choice for the most confident song, and it echoes some of the themes in Rose's breakout hit "I Ain't Your Mama," while building on it as well. Rose declares that she was born to be an artist an songwriter, and chants "it's inevitable" in the poppy arrangement. It's a great way to kick off the EP, and establishes that she's the same girl who sassed it up with "I Ain't Your Mama" three years ago, just with a more poppy and glossy coating.
But even in the ballad "Love Me More" and the new single "Same Sky," that underlying message of girl power is still there. "Same Sky" is a song that is pretty much genre-less, but the great country songwriting mixed with the pop-leaning production and the way Rose's vocals shine highlight all of Rose's skills. "Love Me More" is tied with the closing track "Broken" for best song on the EP, and it even has been receiving a bit of airplay on Sirius XM The Highway, proving that emotional songs sometimes have more impact than any other songs.
"Broken" was the first single off of this collection. This song is definitely country, but it's not country in the way Cut to Impress was. Even on the more country influenced songs on this EP, there's an definite evolution from Rose's debut, hinting that even if she had chosen to stay a little more country and a little less pop, her sound still would have been completely different. The perspective that Rose takes made a drastic shift, and instead of trying to feel "Better" and move on like she did in her debut, The Variety Show Vol. 1 acknowledges when life is tough. "Everybody's broken," she sings in "Broken," before accepting that she's not over a relationship in "Heartbreak Radio." She's still vulnerable, but she's more realistic about it. It's a change in perspective that is not only a result of musical style shift, but also because she's grown up more.
I would have been happy with another incredible album in the same musical vein as Cut to Impress, and I'm sure many fans feel the same way. But Rose takes chances on the Variety Show, and as a young, or an artist of any age, that's what you're supposed to be doing. Rose is only on her second record, and she has a long career ahead of her, and who knows where she'll end up taking her music! This is just the beginning.
Best tracks: Love Me More, Broken
Throwaway tracks: none
Overall rating: 4 crowns
I would have been happy with another incredible album in the same musical vein as Cut to Impress, and I'm sure many fans feel the same way. But Rose takes chances on the Variety Show, and as a young, or an artist of any age, that's what you're supposed to be doing. Rose is only on her second record, and she has a long career ahead of her, and who knows where she'll end up taking her music! This is just the beginning.
Best tracks: Love Me More, Broken
Throwaway tracks: none
Overall rating: 4 crowns
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