Mama Caught Fire - Mama Caught Fire

Mama Caught Fire

Mama Caught Fire
self-released; 2016

3.9 out of 5

By William Morrow
​

Mama Caught Fire is an all-female trio based out of Minneapolis, MN that creates friendly singer/songwriter/folk music. Their ability to gracefully utilize intricate vocal harmonies allows them to add a nice twist to the aforementioned single-dimensional genre(s) of music, and as such, their newest EP, eponymously titled Mama Caught Fire, consisting of just three original songs and one cover, is very easy to listen to and enjoy. 

​Although limited as to what they can do due to their genre, I think that Mama Caught Fire possesses  a pretty dynamic sound. If anything, they take advantage of their restrictions— the minimalism in regards to instrumentation and production allow the album to focus rather clearly on the vocal melodies and harmonies, which certainly stand out from the rest of the music.

As far as the songwriting goes, I think Mama Caught Fire EP is pretty solidly written. However, although the songs are nice and the melodies are sweet, there is nothing really new happening here. I appreciate all the thought that I am sure went into making these tunes as good as they are, and it is easy to hear that the musicianship on this EP is strong, but I should note that there is nothing happening on this EP that would necessarily strike you as innovative or revolutionary in this modern age of music.

This may be irrelevant, though; people listen and create music for different purposes, and if the band were simply striving to make a pleasant folksy EP, then I would say they nailed it. The songs are catchy and fun, yet they have depth as well. I also love how the passion instilled within the band members is audible; on each song, regardless of its intensity, one can hear the amount of sentiment that each member put into their music, and that, in my opinion, is invaluable. 

I really do think that Mama Caught Fire EP is a solid release. The flow of the album works really well, there is a nice balance of tracks in regards to intensity and subtlety, and audio quality-wise there are no problems. Mama Caught Fire seems to have settled into a congenial niche that I am sure works for them, and I hope that they continue to do what they clearly so love.

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