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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Disappointing MaeRae album needs tuning

Combine a woman with an out-of-tune voice, a violin that also seems out of tune and random instruments such as a wooden match, and you have the styling of the MaeRae album, Yes, Please.

After beginning a small band in her college years called the Quickies, MaeRae started on her aspiration to become a famous musician. In 1999 the band fell apart, however, and she was forced to start on her solo career with the help of her friends Edward Misch, violin and guitar player, Steve Burke on the mandolin and tenor guitar, Dave Zero on Epiphone bass and Zac Shroeder as percussionist. MaeRae is the lead singer, songwriter and guitar player on the debut album, Yes, Please.

MaeRae is a side project for the lead singer, from her main band (Noah John with Carl Johns and Steve Burke), and the recording for her first album began in January of this year while she was pregnant. The album was released in March of this year and MaeRae has gone back into the studio for another CD project to continue her solo career.

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“The bottom line in MaeRae is to make good music for our own happiness and hopefully that of other music fans,” said MaeRae on her website, www.maerae.com.

While MaeRae seems to say that the album has been a hard-working compilation of experimental instruments and creative song writing, this is all but evident on the album. Her voice is not only out of tune, but the other instruments sound as though they could use a tuning themselves. The songs have a country mix with the sound of flat harmony and boring melodies.

Her songs lack any creative luster. In songs such as “Don’t Look Up My Skirt (Unless You Mean It),” the guitar plays the same chords over and over again. MaeRae tries to sound seductive and comes off sounding nasal. The chorus chimes, “So don’t look down my shirt / if you ain’t looking for love / And don’t grab my you know what / if you ain’t man enough.” The lyrics aren’t even funny, although that seems to be her goal. Instead they sound unrealistic and are aggravating to listen to.

In other songs, such as “Whisky Bad,” her grammar isn’t even correct as she sings, “Whisky bad / all the words keep twisting inside.” The guitar in the background sounds like it’s playing flat, and hurts the ears to listen to because it doesn’t even seem like the guitarist took time to tune his instrument before he started to riff in the beginning of the song. MaeRae’s voice sounds flat and without emotion, even though in repeated whisperings she tries to evoke some form of emotion from her listeners.

The album is supposed to be a triumphant show of an artist’s solo capabilities. Even with the help of her friends to play the instruments, the album sounds like a cheap country album where the members of the group couldn’t get their act together in time for recording. The twangy instruments do not flow together, seeming to counteract each other. MaeRae’s voice doesn’t even rescue the mesh of instruments. In fact, her voice makes the album seem lifeless even with the contradicting instruments.

Grade: D

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