Title - 'Mercy Rising'
Artist - Maia Sharp
For those not in the know, Maia Sharp wears many hats and furthermore, she has had her songs recorded by The Chicks, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Keb’ Mo’, Cher, Edwin McCain, Terri Clark, David Wilcox, Art Garfunkel, Lizz Wright, Paul Carrack, Lisa Loeb and oh-so many more.
She produced Edwin McCain's album Mercy Bound (429 Records) and even two songs for Art Garfunkel's retrospective double album The Singer (Sony).
And through it all, Maia has continued to record her own albums. She has six solo releases, a collaborative project with Art Garfunkel and Buddy Mondlock Everything Waits to be Noticed and her latest duo project Roscoe & Etta, with writing/production partner Anna Schulze.
Each release has led to extensive touring throughout the US and UK and appearances on Mountain Stage, Acoustic Cafe, World Cafe, NPR's "All Things Considered," CBS Early Morning and the Today Show to name a few.
Maia is also an adjunct professor at NYU for the Summer Songwriter Workshop and she has been writing for Songwriting with Soldiers since 2017 where active duty service members, veterans and/or their family members are paired with professional songwriters in a safe and inspiring environment to share their experience and turn it into a song.
Combining recent influences such as Phoebe Bridgers and Jason Isbell with lifers Bonnie Raitt and Paul Simon, her brand new album Mercy Rising's first digital single release, 'Whatever We Are' brings irreverence and a new production sense to a classic writing style that you could easily imagine George and Tammy covering.
1. 'Mercy Rising'
2. 'You'll Know Who Knows You'
3. 'Backburner'
4. 'Nice Girl'
5. 'When The World Doesn't End'
6. 'Whatever We Are'
7. 'Things To Fix'
8. 'Junkyard Dog'
9. 'Not Your Friend'
10. 'Nowhere Together'
11. 'Missions'
12. 'Always Good To See You'
This quite magnificent, and beautifully crafted album of warmth, personalization and accessibly honest storytelling, opens with the atmospheric Americana of the title track 'Mercy Rising' and backs that up seamlessly with the one-two, slow rock ambiance of 'You'll Know Who Knows You,' the foot-tapping 'Backburner,' the cool summer breeze of, although deceptively titled, 'Nice Girl,' and then we get the lonesome ode to a break up found within 'When The World Doesn't End,' followed by the front porch, sunsetting cadence of 'Whatever We Are.'
Featuring some mid-tempo beats and a quietly sanguine chorus, next up is 'Things To Fix' which is itself backed by the Americana-blues twang of 'Junkyard Dog,' the telling-it-like-it-is 'Not Your Friend,' the almost ethereal 'Nowhere Together,' and then the album rounds out with the earnest reality of 'Missions,' closing on the beautifully euphoric, melodiously dulcet 'Always Good To See You.'
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