Audra Mae and the Almighty Sound is the exciting kind of music that gives us a reason to put on the headphones every night. Her voice is smoky, sultry, and powerful. The variety in the tracks from upbeat blues to slower and romantic makes for a wonderful start to finish album. Audra Mae’s vocals have a quality that is somewhat like Haley Reinhart (of American Idol fame) and KT Tunstall. When it comes to distinctive and intriguing female vocals, she’s in good company.
The album starts off with a bang, “The Real Thing,” a bona fide single in its own right. This track should be getting airtime on every classic rock station in the nation. It deserves a spot for its energy, its punch, and its simple but powerful lyric. “Baby I’m coming better ready yourself because I’m the real thing.” Oh yeah!
The third track, “Little Red Wagon,” is an absolute killer track. It’s a toe-tapping, smile-inducing tune. “You can ride in my little red wagon… front seat’s broken and the axle’s draggin… you can’t step to this backyard swagger… you know it ain’t my fault when I’m walkin jaws droppin’…” What a fun lyric and an incredible song. The piano interlude is jazzy, honky tonk, and conveys some type of seedy, smoke-filled establishment akin to the speakeasies of a bygone era. It’s just SO good.
“Annie Get Your Gun” has a completely different flavor. Utilizing a guitar-driven melody and great vocal harmonies, the song has warmth that is not as evident on the rest of the album. Similarly, but perhaps even more peaceful is “Old Italian Love Song.” It’s a beautiful eminently relatable song about love and music. It could play in the background of that Lady and the Tramp scene with the pasta.
We knew it was a good album as we listened to it because we kept thinking, “oh, well THIS Is the best song on the album.” Seriously it’s a phenomenal album without any throwaway tracks. It’s already on the short list for album of the year. Fans of KT Tunstall and bluesy-rockin’ female vocalists should give this one a spin.
