If you have been following anything I write for the last two years, you know I love a late-night Instagram scroll for finding new and exciting music. By this point, almost everyone who knows me personally understands that I have a near-compulsive aim at finding audio gems, and my friends will send me the goods whenever they find those sonic sparklers first. This time, I was surprised by a business colleague with excellent taste in music, who let me know that this hot new independent artist would pique my interest. I think you’ll like her too. Let’s ‘Dive In’ to new music from Madeline Rose.
About the Artist
Madeline Rose is a new name for me, and I had to do a fair amount of research on the artist to understand her history and sound. Based on some basic information from her biography, I was surprised to find out that not only is Madeline Rose a singer and songwriter, but also a classicly trained pianist. Hailing from Florida, this artist leaves some hints at southern influences in her catalog. Madeline Rose’s main aim with her craft is to create connection and meaningful, relatable, uplifting music for everyone. As a professional musician, Madeline Rose has a relatively new catalog, seeing early success with multiple independent projects crossing 100,000 streams on Spotify, an impressive feat for any independent musician, let alone one relatively new to the scene.
First Impressions
Having never heard anything from Madeline Rose before, I was pleasantly surprised to hear finely tuned, well-rounded and sensual vocals on all the music I previewed. It should come as no surprise given the artist and colleague who sent the song over (he has impeccable taste in music), but not something that I come across often, particularly in the R&B space for independent artists. Maybe that should be a call out to the talented independent and unsigned R&B artists to send their music my way… In any event, I was pleased to hear a true singer after all of my rap reviews, particularly one with a solid range, jazzy/blues undertones, and a warm sound that makes you feel like kicking back and letting go entirely.
Reviewing Madeline Rose’s Latest Single
As you may have guessed from my hints, this review will focus on Madeline Rose’s latest single, ‘Dive In,’ featuring K-Si Yang. ‘Dive In’ is a sultry wave you can’t help but love. Madeline Rose’s fans have described the song as “being on a loop these days” and remarked that they “loved (Madeline Rose’s) candor.” If we are being 100% blunt, the song dances around the idea of sex, a few choice sex acts, and how those acts feel. It’s not the in-your-face explicit that you’ll get on a pop girl-rap track, but it gently leans that way, and if you aren’t listening to all of the lyrics, you may not realize what is going on in the song.
A Bedroom Vibe
The first time I heard this song, I connected it immediately with an Usher track in my head. There is similar energy and notion to ‘Nice and Slow.’ While Madeline Rose isn’t pulling up, anticipating, she certainly does not want to be kept waiting. ‘Dive In’ is a siren’s call to the bedroom, a “vacay to the bedroom,” if you will.
First Impressions
“Take it all off. What you wanna do?” The only correct response to that call and answer in this song is to dive in. It’s straightforward and sexy. The description there is simple. I love the vibe, but I also love WAP and explicit rap. If your mind can handle the R&B version of an invitation for pearl diving, this one is for you. Add it to your Demon Time playlist and let it work its magic.
The piece is well-mixed with a lover girl vibe (as opposed to a sneaky-link vibe). I love the opening instrumentals featuring rain and the intermittent sprinkling of thunder crack percussion that points back to that opening feeling of a rendevous on a rainy night where you have no intention of leaving the bedroom. I also thoroughly enjoyed the wordplay of K-Si Yang‘s verse. He was equally direct and aggressive, with that same soft, sexy energy that Madeline Rose brings to the track.
My only criticism of the piece would be some weaker lyricism. When you are direct and sexy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of using easy words and fast references but much harder to be creative lyrically. On the positive side, the rhyme schemes are solid, the lyrics make sense, and the vibe is maintained throughout.
Should you ‘Dive In’?
My ruling here is YES. The single is a smash, absolutely radio-ready, and something loads of folks will connect with whether they admit it or not. Have you heard ‘Dive In’ yet? Comment below and tell me your favorite element of this song. 💋