Crazymad, For Me

When she released her first solo album in 2022, singer and songwriter Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson -- known professionally as CMAT -- declared her two greatest influences were Dolly Parton and Katy Perry, and you could hear shades of both on If My Wife New Id Be Dead, as the clever pop songcraft meshed with the understated twang and soul-baring emotions of the performances. CMATs second LP, 2023s Crazymad, For Me, eases back on the country undertow in the arrangements, but as a breakup album, its certainly part of a time-honored tradition in both pop and country songwriting. To hear her tell it, Crazymad, For Me is a concept album in which a middle-aged version of CMAT constructs a jerry-rigged time machine so she can travel back 20 years and prevent herself from getting involved with the wrong person. Perhaps all of that will be clear on repeat listens, but its hard to suss it out from just listening to the songs. That said, as a song cycle about the late stages and aftermath of a dysfunctional relationship, Crazymad, For Me is spot on, and CMAT makes the ennui, bitterness, regret, and agony that come with the end of a misbegotten romance crystal-clear. She understands and communicates the frustration of paying literal and metaphorical rent for someone who is never going to return the favor, and shes not above the familiar self-care technique of binge-watching Gilmore Girls and Sex and the City, and as powerful and perceptive as her lyrics are, she knows the small details are what help this sort of story connect. It doesnt hurt that CMAT is even stronger as a vocalist on Crazymad, For Me -- the Kate Bush-meets-Adele sweep of her phrasing takes flight without becoming histrionic, and she lets the emotions cut just as deep as necessary. Producer Matias Tellez was a valuable ally in the studio; the album sounds clean and polished without losing an organic feel, and the cool tone is a solid check and balance for the heat of her delivery. CMAT managed to deliver two smart, powerful, and emotionally resonant albums in the space of 20 months, and if thats not a sign shes worthy of being the global pop star she wants to be, its hard to say what would be. Though Crazymad, For Me lacks a bit of the wit of If My Wife New Id Be Dead, anyone who has had their heart stepped on in the past 20 years will embrace it as their own. ~ Mark Deming