“Mm daa la da dat da,” glides from Redd’s lips as she starts “Heavyweight”, the third single from her debut album, Monsters & Mothers. It’s Americana from Billie Holiday to The Doors packaged in six syllables and a guitar. The airy opening promises a story filled with reflection and growth. Redd does not lie.
“Many a man, his life has sold/ But to the outside of her to behold,” she croons. Seductive lies met with stark reality, leading to learning and growth from the end of this relationship.
Every story on the upcoming album tells a story either something hounding Redd (a “monster”) or something that picks us up and fixes us (a “mother”). “Heavyweight” sits between the two, a monster in the beginning and a mother helping you through it.
Painful, simple truths told through a simple melody. The slow vocal trill ornamentation emphasizes the off-balanced feeling that comes from a rough experience. “I could stay,” she muses—a desire, a plea, an admission. “He told me he liked gold,” reflects Redd—a hope, a lament, a place to move forward from.
Experience comes whether it’s asked for or not.
Stream “Heavyweight” below.
Ben is an advertising Madman who spends his days with words and music. When he’s not writing for his supper, he’s eating it at some of NYC’s most interesting restaurants.
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