Sophie Madeline - Love. Life. Ukulele.

Ever since Hank posted a video of Sophie Madeline singing about beards, I’ve been smitten. After some searching, I found that her new album, “Love.Life.Ukulele” is available to download for five bucks. I forked over the money and gave it a few spins. I’m in love.

Madeline has a fireplace warmth to her voice that hugs perfectly against simple, yet smart lyrics. The melodies are stripped down, straightforward, without being boring…a tough task. Simply put, this album isn’t “Kid A” but does good music always have to test the limitations of sound? No, I would hope not. My favorite track on the album is “Wave Goodbye” a waltzy song that is just pure beauty all around. This is an emotional album that highlights Madeline as an extraordinary talent with a bright future to come. I will certainly be interested in seeing what direction she takes her music, I think her voice would sound just as good against a more aggressive sound, a la Patti Smith.

With Dent May and now Madeline, it seems the ukulele is to 2009 that the accordion was to 2008. It’s a welcomed instrument as it is featured on two of my favorites of this year. Next year it’s all about the glockenspiel.