Revealer

ロサンゼルスのシンガーソングライター兼ギタリストであるマディソン・カニンガムの新作。

グラミー賞に何度もノミネートされながら、まだまだこれからというところで、告白や内緒話、そして自分自身の中にしまっておきたいようなつらい真実などの不安を自信に満ちた個性的な歌に変えて披露した作品。また、この作品は音楽がそのような啓示の手段であること、自分の心の奥底にある感情を言葉にすることで得られるもの、失うものについての考察でもある。

既に先行トラックとして先行配信している"Hospital "は、AAAとNon Commradioの両方でMost Addedの1位を獲得。カニンガムは7歳で初めてギターを手にし、12歳までに5人の兄妹と一緒に教会で歌い、演奏していた、15歳までに、カニンガムはソングライティングが自分のやりたいことだと気づき、ジョニ・ミッチェルとボブ・ディランに影響を受けたと述べている。これまで『Who Are You Now』『Wednesday』と 2枚のアルバムをVerve Forecastからリリース。2021年にハリー・スタイルズのソールドアウトしたマディソン・スクエア・ガーデンのショーのオープニングを務め、NPRモーニング・エディションのソング・プロジェクトでオリジナル曲「Broken Harvest」を書き、その後「The Late Late Show with James Corden」でその曲を披露するなど、今まさに成功を収めてき筒ある注目のアーティスト!

本作品はカニンガムが再びMike Elizondo (Twenty One Pilots, Gary Clark Jr.)や、長年のプロデューサーでありコラボレーターのTyler ChesterとTucker Martine (Neko Case, Sufjan Stevens)と共に制作。「私にとって、"revealer "はアルバムの結合テーマです」と、カニンガムは言う。「自分自身や世界を映す鏡をゆっくりと削り取り、最も真実の姿に置き換えていく手段」とコメント。

Having earned a Grammy nomination (Best Americana Album) for her breakout debut album, 2019s Who Are You Now, and collaborated with the likes of Andrew Bird, Blake Mills, and Jackson Browne in the meantime, guitarist and songwriter Madison Cunningham also found herself opening a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden for Harry Styles in 2021. When she was ready to record her follow-up, it was with returning producer Tyler Chester as well as such seasoned producer/musicians as Mike Elizondo and Tucker Martine. The resulting Revealer is full of intricate musicianship alongside forthright observations. Meeting somewhere near the nexus between warm folk-rock, refined album rock, and jazz-tinged singer/songwriter pop, the set list greets listeners with the triplet-metered "All Ive Ever Known," a re-introduction to Cunninghams (now more prominent) nimble playing style and rhythmic exactitude. It all goes down smoothly with the singers distinctively jazz-tinged melodies and vocals that sound benevolent even as they vent about some of the more challenging aspects of tour life. She delves into still more complex time signatures on "Collider Particles," a restrained, largely acoustic entry with its own focused criticism. Elsewhere, a couple classic rock tropes surface on "Your Hate Can Power a Train," and the hooky, plugged-in "Hospital" delivers lyrics like "Even heartache looks so easy/To a pair of grieving eyes" with not only poise but a touch of defiance. Although there are more tender moments, like the wistful, strings-accompanied ballad "Life According to Raechel," much of Revealer has had enough, calling out bad behavior, whether it be from friends, destinations, or fate. Taking on a Sgt. Peppers hue, the musically playful, stick-clicking closing track, "Sara and the Silent Crowd," ultimately concludes that "You hurt who you love/To be loved/And so the pattern goes." Diverging in subtle ways from her debut, Revealers somewhat more adventurous arrangements and spirited lyrics hold a charm of their own. ~ Marcy Donelson