Gracious Me
Originally posted on February 10th 2016 on the Sustain & Resonance blog.
Americana fans rejoice for the southern greatness of folk music has arrived in North Virginia! Over the last week and a half had the gracious opportunity to listen to the wonderful cross blend of gospel, Americana music of Gracious Me.
Gracious Me, raised in Mississippi, has come to DC and has brought some southern flair with her and is playing out in Virginia, DC, Maryland, North Carolina and New York. Luckily, I was able to hear her first EP; and let me tell you, it does not disappoint!
Her EP starts out with the iconic Americana sounding tune You’ll end UP On Your Knees Either Way which is sung beautifully in a gospel style mix which dives into the concept of humility and exploring that whether you are rich or poor, willing or stubborn, we all end up facing hard times and need some help (referring to either spiritually or a friendly hand). This song, along with her others ones, are full of open interpretation, which broadens the spectrum of the intended audience. This is the Gracious ME’s EP shining moment. Don’t get me wrong, the songs are fantastic, I just absolutely love the openness each one brings that allows for multiple meanings (a place where I believe music for the masses really begins).
The next song, Left Behind is a gorgeous spacey tune that depicts the sad realization of being left by a lover. The song writing in this song is superb as the bassline leads the chords through the changes. These changes lead intoThe Part of Me which is where I realized all the songs could be a conjoined storyline that is loosely interpreted around the five stages of grief. But unlike stage one, there is no denial that this EP rocks.
Next up is You Don’t Love Me Like You Used To, a straight forward love ballad with a clever chorus that originally makes the listener think she is okay with falling out of love, but turns it around claiming she is not content with falling in love but is okay because the love has grown stronger. This is one that heart-stricken folks will be singing to their lovers this upcoming Valentine’s Day.
And finally, the EP ends with Warrior. Warrior is by far my favorite song on the EP. The song is simple yet packs a powerful punch of how tough mama bears really are when facing danger to their cubs, metaphorically speaking of course. The lyrics give a perfect visualization of a suburban mom throwing a wrench into a would-be Walter White’s day. Visually I see my own mother busting up into a meth den and raising hell and ending the song with “I wish I had a mom like you” an awesome nod to mothers everywhere and how grateful we all should be to have our own.
If you need any more reasons to go check her out, her songwriting has been recognized in several songwriting competitions including the 2015 Richard Leigh Songwriters Festival, and the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival Contest.
If you are a fan of great alternative country, John Denver-eque mixed with a little gospel and Americana, go check out Gracious Me EP for purchase at CDBaby.com or available for downloads at Amazon and iTunes as well as streaming on Spotify. For more information and upcoming tour dates check out Gracious Me at www.graciousmemusic.com, on Facebook at /GraciousMeMusic or on Twitter as @GraciousMeMusic !
If you’ve checked out Gracious Me, let us know what you think in the comments! Also, if you have an album or know of a group that you think we should review, let us know! And be on the lookout for our next post on Optimizing Your Pedalboard.
-S&R