Maddy Carty – Hell Of A Year (2021)
Influenced by the likes of Amy Winehouse and Tracy Chapman, UK-based singer-songwriter Maddy Carty has a sound filled with attitude and intimacy. With experience as a songwriter, composer and singer, Carty has a following, however, the talented musician has released solo singles sporadically over the years. Featured in RGM, Loud Women and various playlists/online radio stations, Carty is described as “sickeningly talented” by Record Collector Magazine and “strikingly sophisticated by the Daily Mirror, and we really have to agree. The latest single from Maddy Carty is ‘Hell of a Year’.
Following her EP Shout The Loudest, released in 2019, Carty adopts a soul meets contemporary pop sound in ‘Hell of a Year’. While this songstress definitely has a signature voice incorporating a huskiness to the flowing tenderness, there is a strong reminiscence to Amy Winehouse. In addition to this versatility and experimental sound, I find Carty highly innovative with transitions between the pop-influenced Shout The Loudest and groovy vibes in ‘Hell of a Year’.
A piano-driven single, ‘Hell of a Year’ uses an acoustic-inspired style showing how simplicity can be both beautiful and hard-hitting. The thing is while this track has a basic steadiness to it, ‘Hell of a Year’ captures the delicacy of human nature in a fragile and tender way. Carty shares that the single “…is a song about the unhealthy ways we can try to deal with difficult times. With so much focus on mental health awareness and openness at the moment, it’s very relevant to our time. Most people have had to struggle more than usual recently and sometimes we can beat ourselves up when we should be kinder to ourselves.”
Her personal narrative evocatively executed definitely connects with audiences on a deeper level, particularly as we face lifestyles in an uncertain society. Tossing you into a hazy sonic swirl, Carty weaves a powerful tapestry of music with the shimmering light being “…the morning after the night before.” Melancholic but with a hint of empowerment and optimism, ‘Hell of a Year’ is one hell of an intoxicating representation of what we’re all going through right now. We need more gems like this to make it through life.
For more from Maddy Carty, check out her Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
