"Nice to Meet You" by Mariah McManus
“Nice to Meet You,” Mariah McManus (Catcher and Rye)
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Mariah McManus introduces herself with “Nice to Meet You,” a debut that reveals considerable promise.
The indie-pop performer has a child-like voice that she can shift from Bjork-ish quirk to Hope Sandoval-ish mesmerization. It’s the kind of delivery that often works well with her bittersweet reflections on love and life, as seen through the eyes of a barely adult woman.
Sonically, “Nice to Meet You” sways with traditional adult-alternative romanticism, energized by modernistic electro nuance. Plus there’s a down-home warmth and wistfulness that emanates from “Nice to Meet You,” doubtless a result of the 19-year-old recording her release in Nashville.
All is not rosy, however. McManus has a severe case of Alanis Morissette Syndrome, where her words seem to escape her suddenly, in irrational swells and at the cost of great pain to the singer. And unlike Morissette, who has managed to tailor her affectation to some purpose (accentuating rage, for example), McManus’ contrived style seems to happen “just because,” making the melodrama of her lyrics ring hollow.
A second pitfall is the fault of her producers, Thomas Doeve and Aaron McManus (her brother). “Nice to Meet You” is terribly paced so that it slinks away in a mopey state of lethargy, unraveling the engaging charm of early cuts.
Before the release is dosed with sedatives, and despite the singers’ sometimes-irritating outbursts, McManus has her moments. She’s a reflective sprite in the pulsating “Say It Again” (“I’m fighting harder for you than I ever did for anything”), she’s effectively nostalgic in the adult rock of “Make It Right” (“I’d do anything to go back to that time”), and she keys into the lonesome dreampop of a “Now That You’re Gone” built on acoustic guitar, synth fill and keyboards.
Ultimately, although it’s nice to meet McManus, it’s also not hard to say goodbye.
Rating (five possible): 3
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