The best singer-songwriters serve the song. The songwriter’s
songwriter, James Maddock, who has earned the respect of masterful
writers such as Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nile, has built his
acclaimed legacy on humbly honoring purity of expression. Many albums
in his beloved catalog are elegantly spare, conveying his songs and
sentiments in the most direct possible way. But for his latest album,
The Green, the songs guided him into recording the most eclectic,
exhilaratingly soulful, and imaginatively produced album in his
career. “This is my best album. It’s an upbeat record with really
strong songs and a lot of surprises,” the British transplant
reveals. “It all happened really naturally. I just listened to where
the songs where going and allowed myself the time to give each one a
proper sonic home.” Since 1999, James Maddock’s boldly vulnerable
songwriting, honeyed rasp, and distinct folk and Americana aesthetic
have garnered acclaim from icons, peers, and tastemaking outlets like
NPR, American Songwriter, Relix Magazine, and CMT Edge. Relix notes:
“James Maddock possesses the kind of lived-in, craggy voice that
would sound authoritative if he were singing the sports pages.
Fortunately, he doesn’t need to do that because his compositional
skills are a match for his delivery.” His consistency as a recording
artist and a captivating live performer have attracted a devoted
fanbase engaged and generous enough to fan fund the last two entries
in his six-album oeuvre. He's performed with Bruce Springsteen, Willie
Nile, Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors) and David Immergluck (Counting
Crows), sang on an album with Susan McKeown, and has built a respected
international profile through tireless touring from the Northeast US
to Europe to Australia. Previous to his solo career, James was the
frontman for the Columbia Records band Wood. It was in this context
that he was first introduced to a mainstream audience when songs from
the group’s debut, Songs From Stamford Hill, were prominently
featured in Dawson’s Creek. In 2003, Maddock relocated from England
to New York, and, soon after, launched his solo career. His 2009 solo
album Sunrise On Avenue C won a New York Music Award for “Best
Americana Album,” while its follow-up, Wake Up And Dream, ranked
among the top albums of 2011 in WFUV's (NYC) Listener Poll. The Green
truly captures NPR’s accolade that “his timeless songwriting
style, which seems to draw from great songwriters of every era,
conveys quiet confidence and lovely intimacy.”
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03/03/2018 Last update