Madison Deaver’s latest appetizer from her upcoming album is a song that starts powerful and keeps growing until it reaches dizzying heights.
The Los Angeles-based Madison Deaver has the voice of a diva and the live performances of one too. Already drawing comparisons to greats such as Gwen Stefani’s power and panache and Hayley Williams’s nuanced and refined vocal delivery, Madison seems confident that she’s on an upwards spiral for global stardom. But while Wicked doesn’t necessarily show off her most exciting chops, it clearly shows that the DNA for superstardom is there.
Wicked is a raw and charged anthem that’s full of rage and mystery. The lyrics are difficult to interpret but they speak of someone who’s been wronged and is out to seek some sort of vengeance. The music definitely fits this narrative. A blood-pumping beat that grows more and more intricate and prominent throughout the song is coupled with a shapeshifting and dynamic arrangement that never really settles, sometimes orchestral, and sometimes guitar based and distorted, both colors are executed elegantly and without excess. The singing is extraordinary. The feel and control are sublime, and the range is very impressive, with some backing vocals reaching dizzyingly high notes that show how capable Madison is as a singer.
Wicked is a song packed with neat ideas and amazing performances and real, raw power. Maybe on its own, it lacks some of the elegance that makes a hit timeless, with a production that sadly dulls down some solid lines, and singing that gets sideswiped at times making it hard to pay attention to. Madison is a talented songwriter and an astonishing singer, and I’ll be on the lookout for her debut album, with hopes that the slight issues of Wicked will have been fixed by then.