Mama Said – Samantha Starr Stefanik (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Everyone seems to be good at giving advice these days, though most of what people will claim to be their inner truths, words of wisdom garnered the hard way, are, more usually in this internet age, something that they heard a 19-year-old reality TV start share on TikTok or a meme that their co-worker posted to Facebook. But, if you are going to take anyone’s advice, your mother is usually a safe bet, a wellspring of experience, a fount of all knowledge.

Samantha Starr Stefanik knows this; why else would she have written a song about it, not only a song but the opening, titular salvo of her debut EP? And, although most of the songs found here lean into more slightly heavier realms, or at least more upbeat, this opener is a spacious and seductive piece, running on a slow groove and clothed only in the most minimal of sonics. But then, when you have words this wise, why not let them speak for themselves? Not to mention, when you have a voice this great, why would you bury it in rock noise or pop posturing?

“Light Me Up” ups the sonic game, moving things into a bluesy rock ‘n’ roll place, replete with funky guitar licks and growling chords, crashing percussion, and the sort of infectious energy that persuades even the most ardent wallflower to make a beeline for the dance floor.

To keep things fresh, “88 Women” embraces a gentle ska groove, not quiet reggae in the truest sense but more an intriguing mix of its signature sounds – syncopated off-beat guitars juggling the on-beat groove, the laid back, staccato sonics – in a pop-rock package, but it is the lyrics which are the most intriguing part of this already intriguing song. Who are the 88 Women? Separate aspects of her personality, perhaps, some of whom haven’t survived the ravages of life? Metaphysical ghosts of past lives? Who knows? I love the vagueness and the room left for everyone to make up their mind.

“Bazooka” is the current single, again, a return to rock and roll, although this time round, slightly more relaxed, slightly country-tinged, and if truth be told, slightly…well, awesome, and the perfect mesh of muscle and melody. We end as we started, in the more finessed folk that we have come to expect from Samantha Starr Stefanik, “I Saw It Comin” feeling like the sort of deft folk-pop that Carole King made her name with.

As debuts go, it is the perfect calling card and mission statement. It speaks volumes. It tells us that here is an artist able to move between genres and find her take on them. It tells us that we have a new kid on the block who has something to say but does so in the most accessible of ways. And it tells us that here we have a fantastic songwriter, one who both nods to established tradition and is heading straight for a bright future.

Definitely an artist to keep an eye on, not to mention at least one ear.