Way It Feels

Maddie & Tae traveled a long road to get to The Way It Feels, their second album. As they were settling in to record a sequel to their 2014 debut Start Here, their label folded, forcing the duo to shift over to UMG Nashville, a move that wasn't necessarily painful, but did keep them off the airwaves for a prolonged period of time. They reemerged in 2019 with the One Heart to Another EP, which was quickly followed by another one called Everywhere I'm Goin', recordings that helped ease them back onto the airwaves, setting the stage for the spring 2020 release of their sophomore set. The Way It Feels combines the entirety of the two 2019 EPs -- that winds up being ten of the album's 15 songs -- but that's only one reason why the album feels a bit familiar, lacking the kick that characterized a good portion of Start Here. Specifically, Maddie & Tae avoid the barbed humor and snappy beat of their breakthrough hit "Girl in a Country Song," choosing to crank up the guitars and drums for just two numbers: "Bathroom Floor" and "New Dog Old Tricks," both cuts that closed out their respective EPs. This leaves the rest of The Way It Feels to explore the soft territory separating country-pop and adult contemporary, singing tales of love won and lost while taking the occasional detour to play a bit of sunny cheer. If The Way It Feels could use a little bit more of the latter -- when "Write a Book," one of the handful of new tunes here, breezes in at the midway point, the album seems to lift into the air -- all the besotted ballads and sad songs are impeccably crafted from stem to stern. Maddie & Tae and their cast of supporting writers know how to sculpt tuneful, sincere country tunes and their harmonies aren't merely convincing, but prove a balm, sounding sweet and soulful even underneath the layers of gloss by producers Jimmy Robbins and Derek Wells. The end result may not be as grabbing as Start Here, but it is professional-grade Nashville country-pop, the kind of music that sounds richer, fuller, and better with repeated plays. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine