Charlie Maè Wilson - ​Red Skies

​Charlie Maè Wilson 

​Red Skies
self-released; 2016

​3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Charlie Mae Wilson has been writing music for five years and also went to school for songwriting. All things considered that's not too long. She displays some growth and talent on the three-song EP entitled Red Skies.

​She mentions that the tracks are “very different.” I can’t say that I thought that and to be honest I’m glad there was cohesion between the tracks. All of the songs support her vocals. She does have a great voice. There are no issues in that department. I’d say the songs paints different moods but I felt like they were sewn from the same cloth. 

Up first is the title track. It’s a track that gains more and more momentum and energy as it progresses. It starts with her vocals and guitar chords that are lightly strummed. Other elements start to trickle in as her voice leads the charge. About halfway though orchestral strings and bass make their way into the mix. The last minute is a full-fledged band with percussion charging through in epic fashion. It’s a good song and almost had a timeless quality to it. It seemed like it could have worked in the ’80s or today.

As much as I liked the first track I preferred the second track “Falling Into Fiction” even more. It is ultimately a pop song and reminded me of a ’90s alternative song. The guitars are clean, the bass is slick and drums drive the song. It’s a feel good song that's the catchiest song of the batch and certainly the most single worthy.

She closes with more melancholy and haunting on “Only If You Need Me.” The song does pick up a little like the opener but not nearly as much. The momentum here comes suddenly. Perhaps the most beautiful moment of the three songs is around the two-minute mark. Her reverb laced vocals with the instrumentation hits the mark. 

Red Skies is an enjoyable EP that showcases her foundation. The songwriting did feel pretty standard and I don’t think it could hurt if she got a little more experimental and looked into how her sounds could become even more defined. Overall this is a good start and I hope to hear more soon.

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