Maia is making some of the most innovative and soulful music around with songs that are head and shoulders above the rest. She has become one of my favorite artists.”
— Billboard
Her tear-soaked lyrics and high-cresting melody conspire for a finely-crafted lesson on invincible pop.”
— Bonnie Raitt
Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!
Maia has long been known as a great songwriter and her songs have been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, The Dixie Chicks, Keb’ Mo’, Carole King, and Art Garfunkel. But, she is also a uniquely gifted singer. I completely adore her voice. Her melodies are “pop” in the best sense of the word. I love it all and I want to learn the words so I can sing along.
Getting this blog post ready has been so much fun because I am blaring Maia’s music in my office while I write it. I am in that place that only great music can take you to. There is a smile on my face, and I might very well be in love with the world. I am certainly in love with Maia.
Understudies was written with Buddy Mondlock for the project they did with Art Garfunkel. I like to imagine that they wrote it while they were on the road with Art. Of course, I have no idea, I just like to imagine it that way.
The Edge is about that second just before someone tells you that they love you – the second before everything changes. I imagine that Red Dress is about the music business. Again, I don’t know, but it does fit and it is a delicious song.
I Need This to Be Love is a song about love being “the only reason good enough.” You Are Mine is so full of life. Clever and fun. I am singing along like crazy on this one. I want to learn it on guitar. I want to sing it all day long. And it’s Jim Keltner on the drums!
A turn in the road they don’t regret
A long gone love that never lost its shine
Everybody’s got that one that won’t fade away
That keeps on bringing them back to those days
A memory that won’t be left behind
And you are mine
The first two videos are fantastic. They are from her new project Echo that was produced by Don Was. The videos are really great and so are the musicians. Jim Keltner again! The deal with these two videos is that they made both recordings in 12 hours. They started at noon and quit at midnight, no matter where they were in the production. There are other great videos on this site if you want to check them out.
Whole Flat World is just a great song about being happy with what you have until you find out there is something more. I love the way she talks about the “more” that she found and I love this performance. I’m singing along! Standing Out in a Crowd is just such a wonderful song about finding out that being different is “not such a bad place to be.” We should play it for all the young people we know.
What a pleasure this has been to do. Enjoy!
Polite Society
John Q. Lonely
Whole Flat World
Standing Out in a Crowd
