Madison Cunningham

One Liner: Deeply beautiful Americana with some rock leanings.

Wikipedia Genre: Americana, folk-pop, folk-rock

Home: Costa Mesa, CA

Poster Position: 3 (15)
Both Weekends.  

Sunday at 12:45.

Thoughts:  Funny.  I saw this name and was immediately like - she's been here before.  Nope!  That was Madison Beer and Madison Ryan Ward.  This is a different Madison.  Her currently top track on Spotify is a Beatles cover, which is really supremely pretty, but also not her own song.  I started with this in order to bag on her, and yet I freaking love this stuff.  She's excellent.

Sometimes I hear Sheryl Crow.  Sometimes I hear Edie Brickell.  Sometimes I hear a more modern Carole King.  She sounds like someone else too - is she the lead singer of a band?  Nope, she just has a great sound that feels instantly comfortable and familiar.  Also, she got the shaft with her stage time - her name is in the third section of medium-sized type, and yet she gets the noon on Sunday slot?  Brutal.

She is the daughter of a pastor, with four sisters, and she started playing guitar and performing at church at seven years old.  Her first album was a worship album (Authenticity, which is no longer available on Spotify), but after high school she joined the cast of American Public Media's Live from Here, the Chris Thile show, and then started releasing new work a few years later.  That first album, 2019's Who Are You Now, was nominated for the Grammy for Americana album of the year.  Her next album was 2022's Revealer, which won the Grammy for Best Folk Album.  She also does some other rad covers - other than the one mentioned above, like Bjork and Radiohead.

Her top streamer is from that 2019 album - Who Are You Now - "Song in My Head" with 12 million streams.

Quiet and lovely little tune.  And relatable, as there is always music rattling around in my brain: "There’s a song in my head, Oh a line that never stops playing, I’m not sure how it ends, I can't remember when, I heard what you were saying."  And this verse is great too - "I make up half the words,

And wear a t-shirt of a band, I’ve never heard because it hurts, To be on the outside looking in."  Good stuff.  "Pin it Down" is good too.

The top track from the new album, and significantly more rockin' sound, is "Hospital" with 2.5 million streams.

A little bit Sheryl Crow, a little bit Fiona Apple, and a lot of swagger.  I would not enjoy being in that little room.  Not sure I understand the main chorus bit - "I am always one man down, and dressed up."  Either way, I just think this is groovy and funky and rad.

I'd absolutely go check it out if I was at the Fest at noon on Sunday.  I need for the dumb Cowboys to have the Thursday, Sunday, or Monday night game that week so that Jason will be willing to go to the park early.  HOLY HELL!  It is!  They play the Niners at 7:20 that night!  Woohoo!