Madeline – Black Velvet Album Review

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The first time I heard Madeline was probably two years ago. With just one song, I knew that she had wooed me forever. Her voice was unmistakably tangible — in a day and age when good voices are plentiful and female singer-songwriters a drop in the bucket.

Listen to “Hurry Up Pronto” – DOWNLOAD MP3

Madeline’s latest album, Black Velvet, takes the Athens-based songstress in a million sonic directions, but the truth is that the instrumentation takes the backseat to Madeline as a musical being herself. With the confidence and grace of a well-seasoned theatre actress, Madeline steals the show with her vocal persona alone — quite a feat considering the nature of her creation. Throughout Black Velvet, her voice is a combination of gentle naivete and refined maturity; though light and full of Southern sweetness, it is surrounded by a gentle rasp that keeps at bay comparisons to songbirds or Belle And Sebastian cuteness. Madeline sings like the best female country vocalist without twang or formality; she is transparent without lacking edge, and the context within which she performs matters only slightly. Regardless of what topic is covered or what genre is represented, I can listen to Madeline sing all day, and I have been. Love upon first listen.

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Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and artist who splits their time between Oaxaca, Mexico, and Seattle, Washington. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Editor-in-Chief of International Examiner, and an Environmental Justice reporter at South Seattle Emerald. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Their latest short film, Reckless Spirits (2022), is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy; the feature film version is slated for production in 2026. In 2025, they premiere their documentary short film, Hunt's Trading Post, set just outside of the Navajo and Ute Nations.

In 2017, Vee released the narrative short film, Searching Skies — which touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States — and co-organized The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!. They have a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota and are pursuing a certificate in Incidencias en Problemas Socioambientales at the Universidad del Medio Ambiente in Mexico.

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Written by Vee Hua 華婷婷

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