Best duo in country music? This is a bold statement that seems impossible to live up to, but Maddie and Tae do live up to it. There are quite a few duos in country music: Megan & Liz, Dan + Shay, Big and Rich, The Swon Brothers, Brothers Osborne, Thompson Square, and of course, the most commercially successful of them all: Florida Georgia Line. And although Maddie and Tae have been pretty successful commercially, this is not based on that. This is not a judge of how many No.1's they've had, or how much money they've made. This is a judge of quality, based on the music they've released and what they've performed live. By that standard, they are by far the best.
Reason 1: Maddie and Tae are the best duo because they know how to get the public's attention. They started off their career by releasing one of the most needed country songs of all time: "Girl in a Country Song." Still to this day there continues to be a surplus of songs that objectify women and make them sound like they're only good to party with. Maddie and Tae were one of the first women to speak out against this through a song. Eventually going No. 1 and now nominated for 3 CMT awards, this song has become a hit and stretched even outside the realm of country music. The girls became the first female duo since The Wreckers to go No. 1, therefore starting off their career with a record-breaker, and a bang.
Reason 2: They are the best duo in country music because they sing real country music. The rise of Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift copycats and pop-country has led to much criticism of the genre, with some critics saying that it shouldn't even be considered country music. Maddie and Tae definitely have their fair share of pop influences, especially in their debut single, but overall they sing true country. Take a look at their EP: "Fly" is a contemporary country piece in the vein of the Dixie Chicks. "Your Side if Town" is a boot stomping anthem that could have been at home on Miranda Lambert's sophomore record. They don't stray from the truth and sing about what means the most to them, a sign of a true country artist.
Reason 3: Finally and most importantly, Maddie and Tae have the most potential and seem the most likely to be able to fill the gap in country music that the Dixie Chicks left. Maddie and Tae have the harmonies of the legendary country girl group, the bluegrass influences, and Maddie Marlow has the same strong vocals that Natalie Maines had. Musically, they are similar, or at least Maddie and Tae were very influenced by the Dixie Chicks. They have the scathing tracks of "Sierra" (I Can Do Better ) the emotional ballads like "Fly" and "After the Storm Blows through" (Travelin' Soldier, You Were Mine ) and the old school anthems of "Your Side of Town (Lubbock or Leave it, If I Fall You're Going Down With Me) and finally the somewhat edgy tracks like "Girl in a Country Song" (Goodbye Earl, Not Ready To Make Nice.) We need more girl power in country music, and that was one thing we could count on the Dixie Chicks to bring us. It would not be surprising if one day we count on Maddie and Tae to do that.
Reason 2: They are the best duo in country music because they sing real country music. The rise of Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift copycats and pop-country has led to much criticism of the genre, with some critics saying that it shouldn't even be considered country music. Maddie and Tae definitely have their fair share of pop influences, especially in their debut single, but overall they sing true country. Take a look at their EP: "Fly" is a contemporary country piece in the vein of the Dixie Chicks. "Your Side if Town" is a boot stomping anthem that could have been at home on Miranda Lambert's sophomore record. They don't stray from the truth and sing about what means the most to them, a sign of a true country artist.
Reason 3: Finally and most importantly, Maddie and Tae have the most potential and seem the most likely to be able to fill the gap in country music that the Dixie Chicks left. Maddie and Tae have the harmonies of the legendary country girl group, the bluegrass influences, and Maddie Marlow has the same strong vocals that Natalie Maines had. Musically, they are similar, or at least Maddie and Tae were very influenced by the Dixie Chicks. They have the scathing tracks of "Sierra" (I Can Do Better ) the emotional ballads like "Fly" and "After the Storm Blows through" (Travelin' Soldier, You Were Mine ) and the old school anthems of "Your Side of Town (Lubbock or Leave it, If I Fall You're Going Down With Me) and finally the somewhat edgy tracks like "Girl in a Country Song" (Goodbye Earl, Not Ready To Make Nice.) We need more girl power in country music, and that was one thing we could count on the Dixie Chicks to bring us. It would not be surprising if one day we count on Maddie and Tae to do that.
Maddie and Tae have a long career ahead of them. Their debut record Start Here comes out August 28. The girls describe the record as a 'journey.' Tae said, "We’ve been writing this record for five years, so we’ve had this kind of evolution of music. Our journey over the past five years has changed a lot, but it’s been fun for us, ’cause we’ve gotten to write about it and kind of get our different emotions out.” Based on their EP, this is sure to be one of the best albums of the year. Pre-order it here, to get their EP and "Downside of Growing Up" as instant grat tracks. Keep an eye on these girls, because they are going far.
More on Maddie and Tae:
Members: Maddie Marlow (born July, 1995 ) and Taylor Dye (born September, 1995)
Key tracks: "Girl in a Country Song," "After the Storm Blows Through," "Sierra"
Check out some of Maddie and Tae's best performances below:
Members: Maddie Marlow (born July, 1995 ) and Taylor Dye (born September, 1995)
Key tracks: "Girl in a Country Song," "After the Storm Blows Through," "Sierra"
Check out some of Maddie and Tae's best performances below:
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