UMG Recordings
Release Date: August 6th 2021
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Maddie & Tae– Life Ain’t Fair (Single) (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Life Ain’t Fair
Prior to the past couple of years, I wasn’t that open to many country artists, aside from Carrie Underwood. Yet this year (and throughout the back end of last year), I’ve been much more receptive to and captivated by the genre- most, if not all of the artists I’ve blogged about so far that are classified as ‘country’; are artists I’ve written about in 2020 and this year. By watching Grady Smith’s youtube channel of country reviews on a regular basis since mid-2020; I’ve become much more open to this genre, and all in all, I’ve found that I love listening to authentic country music that tells a story…even though I’m not American. Up-and-coming country duo Maddie & Tae have been one of the surprise artists this past year that have engaged and resonated with me; and one such country artist that has thoroughly delivered above and beyond anything I could ever envision a country artist recording and displaying to the world. Maddison Font and Taylor Kerr are songwriters and vocalists in their own right- and when you read my review of The Way It Feels, as well as my blog about them, and also listen to Matthew West’s podcast with them; I’m sure you’ll agree that these girls will be the talk on everyone’s lips in the many months and years to come. With their hit songs “Die From A Broken Heart” and “Girl In A Country Song” each achieving stratospheric success (within the country music scene at least!); the girls were on their way to tour their second full length album in 2020 and in 2021… and that’s when the pandemic hit. Like all musicians, Maddie & Tae recalibrated and re-evaluated… and thus the Christmas EP We Need Christmas was born. Fast forward to this year, and with the country (of the U.S.) only just opening up to a small degree for concerts; Maddie & Tae released “Woman You Got” in March, a sassy, no-nonsense declaration of love for their husbands, as the duo also convey that even in platonic relationships that honesty is the key to the aforementioned relationship thriving. In May, we were also blessed to hear “Mood Ring”, another melody from the girls that is essentially calling out someone on their toxicity and fickle emotions, reminding us all that we do not need to endure relationships that bring us down mentally and emotionally. While as of yesterday, the girls have delivered to us yet another new track. This time it’s the happy-go-lucky and vibrant “Life Ain’t Fair”, whereby the girls sing out through guitars that life isn’t fair sometimes (subtly alluding to COVID-19), but then reassuring us that life still goes on, and we all have to make the best of a bad situation.
The basis for the 3 minute pop/country tune “Life Ain’t Fair” lies in the title- that life isn’t fair sometimes and that sometimes you have a bad day or a bad week. Maybe you’re like Alexander in the movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and everything around you goes wrong. However, both Maddie and Tae eloquently remind us that even though things may be out of whack in our lives, we still have each other, and we still have family and friends to keep us grounded and accountable. Sure, this life right now may not be where we want to be at the moment, but the girls reassure us that when we’re going through life together, we can laugh about the bad times and ride them out. Life is more fun that way, with people in it, even if it doesn’t seem fair. With our friends beside us, can’t we technically conquer anything?
I used to think that I’m not the ‘target audience’ of Maddie & Tae. This was especially evident as The Way It Feels delves deep into the security of relationships and the transient nature of falling in and out of love- and as a single person, I can’t relate to these songs as well as others. Yet there’s something about Maddie & Tae in general that makes me keep coming back and listening despite the initial misgivings and the initial apprehensiveness. It’s the realness of these songs, it’s the authenticity, the vulnerability, the emotion, the honesty, and the heartfelt nature of the lyrics that pull at my emotions. If you’re not impacted by a number of songs from Maddie & Tae; then what can I say? You’re not really human? Anyway, as you guys all read more about what I have to say about Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr in my blog, and how God has used them to strengthen my faith and how God has used them to open my eyes more about the complexities of life; let us dive deep into each of the girls’ singles “Woman you Got”, “Mood Ring” and “Life Ain’t Fair”. It may take a few listens, if you’re not a fan of country; but I guarantee that you’ll find something compelling and inspiring that you will resonate with. Shall we start a countdown to their 3rd full length album, whenever that may be? Who reckons late this year, and who reckons early next year?
Score: 4.5/5
RIYL: Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Kacey Musgraves, Luke Coombs, Dan + Shay