Album Notes

Mary McAdams brings a mother's love and a lover's passion to the 10 original compositions on this Iowa-based release. Mary can serve up slow and saucy roadhouse blues, earnest Americana roots rockin' or a lullaby ballad with equal authenticity. From the funky piano fills of "Greed" to the simple guitar picking of "Fourth of July", you'll fall in love with the subjects in Mary's songs.

Review by John Burns, Des Moines, IA
You CAN NOT exaggerate how good this CD is. I was blown away at the very beginning. The first tune, “Take You There,” is co-written with Big Joel Kinser. I’m listening to it and remarking to myself that Mary chose to lead off with her best song. Like most of her songs, “Take You There” is about Mary McAdams. It describes a couple who clearly have been together for a while, whose time is mostly invested in the children, but who are able to find some time for a “late spring night, a bottle of wine and a black dress.” There’s a subtle bluesy turn in the melody that makes this song particularly interesting.
 
“Greed” is a frontal attack on Wall Street with a really cool piano line. 

My observation about sticking her best song up front was not necessarily accurate, because this CD just keeps getting better and better. In the refrain of the third cut, Mary belts out the line, “Don’t fight to win, Baby– Fight for ME!!” This is world-class songwriting. Every time you think she’s drifting into what appears to be familiar songwriting territory, she comes up with something entirely fresh. 

She never lets up, right through to the final song, “Fourth of July,” featuring Mary alone with her Taylor acoustic. It’s about setting aside one day for a young child “cause you’ll never be three again – won’t feel like playing in sand – and I’m not letting this day by. . . Let’s make today the Fourth of July.”

The CD is recorded at Sonic Factory Studios in Des Moines, with many of the best local musicians, and mastered in Omaha. But “Mary McAdams” holds its own (at least to my ears) with any production out of California or Atlanta. Mary is very close to getting her CD up on CD Baby, iTunes and various other outlets. If you want a copy of it, let me know and I’ll get you the information.
And, believe me, you DO want a copy.

Mary’s voice on her self-titled debut is honest, unapologetically strong and downright ROCKIN’. The writing is full of imagery as she gives us a refreshing look at magic in, "Bubbles". "As the cities and towns are in trouble, The kids will find the magic...mixing a nickel's worth of soap and a cup of rain". Makes you believe in magic all over again.
-Sweet Talk Radio, Los Angeles, CA.

“WOW!! WOW!! This is Awesome!! “Don’t fight to win Baby.…Fight for me.’ WOW!! That’s a single. World-class production!! Everybody, buy this CD!! There aren’t enough superlatives.
-B. John Burns, Attorney, Des Moines, IA.

Your song steams, I am still all worked up, the windows are fogged, and I cannot see the road. Wow!
-Phil Hastings, Denver, CO.