New York-based instrumentalist and vocalist Madison Daley is the brainchild behind “The Madame”, the ringleader of a rock n’ roll circus, paying homage to vintage fashion, music and Hollywood. Moving to New York, Daley made herself a fixture in the local music scene and eventually crowdfunded the money needed to record her debut single and EP Classic.
Much like the persona she created with The Madame, Madame Daley‘s music hearkens back to vintage rock, blues and showtune styles. First single “Annie, Sing Your Heart Out Anyways” is filled with soulful vocals and chunky guitar chords that feels like vintage Tom Petty, with a romantic heart at its center (“A room without you is nowhere anyone wants to be”). “Modern Day Dandy” is more attuned to Elton John, with its honky-tonk piano shuffle and character portrait.
Daley is certainly indebted to many classic rock acts for her sound, but also in her lyrics. There’s a dustier quality to the country blues rock of “Teenage Girls Made Rock n’ Roll”, a song that argues that it’s the young, excitable teenage fans who helped make legends out of Elvis, The Beatles and other acts, thus making the genre immortal. And on the title track, Daley name-drops a number of famous rockers and their songs while comparing them to her dreamy lover.
The arrangements here are generally stripped back, allowing Daley’s versatile voice to dominate the tracks, though there are certain accoutrements such as the jazzy horns and lo-fi drum beat on “I Don’t Want It” which give it a cabaret flavor.
Madame Daley clearly has a vision for her sound and captures it perfectly well on Classic. It will be interesting to see where she goes from here. For now, you can stream her new EP here!
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