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Review: Country's Maddie & Tae burn bright on superb album

Maddie & Tae, 'œThe Way It Feels'ť (Mercury Nashville)

Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye, who record under the name Maddie & Tae, are more than collaborators. In the liner notes of their new album, each calls the other her 'œsoul sister.'ť As great as their friendship is, we are the real beneficiaries.

Their second full-length album, the 15-track 'œThe Way It Feels,'ť is funny in parts, touching in others and filled with glorious songwriting and harmonies. It is first-class country-pop and an absolute delight, from the broad, bear-hug celebration of America in 'œEverywhere I'm Goin''ť to the intimate couple song 'œTrying on Rings.'ť

The album is almost evenly divided between songs in which love is strong - 'œMy Man,'ť 'œWrite a Book'ť and 'œFriends Don't'ť - or curdled, as in 'œTourist In This Town,'ť 'œDrunk or Lonely, 'œ 'œOne Heart to Another'ť and 'ťDie From a Broken Heart.'ť Dye is married to Josh Kerr, who supplied co-writing duties to 'œWrite a Book'ť and 'œBathroom Floor,'ť both terrific.

One of the saddest is 'œWater In His Wine Glass,'ť a song for a drinker that uses gentle religious imagery: 'œLord pour water in his wine glass/Bring the man he used to be back.'ť Dierks Bentley makes a nifty addition to 'œLay Here With Me,'ť a song about an exhausted fighting couple.

Maddie & Tae made splash a few years ago with the convention-skewering hoot 'œGirl In a Country Song,'ť but 'œThe Way It Feels'ť shows off plenty of sides to this refreshing, exciting pair. It often resembles a greatest hits package - and in some ways it is. Several songs have previously been released as part of a pair of EPs in 2019. For anyone unfamiliar with the duo, this is a treat.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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