It is time for the Filipino audience to be educated about music. No offense for one hit wonders and other mainstream acts who made it big because they leaned towards being a fad rather than a mark of real music for the globe to appreciate for multiple generations. Make way for a new sound that goes against the ordinary and yet continuously succeeds in captivating an audience who went beyond appreciation and evolved into creating hits of their own.

Amy Macdonald thought and felt outside the box when she released her debut album, This Is the Life. Though her music draws inspiration from those who have created a huge following, such as the likes of Pete Doherty of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fran Healy of Travis, and even stars of the big screen like Ewan McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal, Macdonald chooses to become the newest teen sensation who takes the word taste to a different level. Her story is simple. It started at a young age of 12. One sunny day during a family outing in Scottland, her grandma gave her some money, and yet, Amy was not a typical teenager who immediately bought clothes or ice cream with the free money that she got. She opted to buy a CD, The Man Who by Travis. Inspiration immediately took over young Amy that she didn’t need tutors or genetic influences to teach her how to make music. All it took was a little resourcefulness, a good ear, and a few chord patterns on the internet. Not to mention, a huge, burning, raging desire to write and play songs. This surge of inspiration went on and Amy found herself writing songs about posters of Ewan McGregor from the wall of her sister’s bedroom to her ultimate crush, Jake Gyllenhaal. It was inevitable for Amy Macdonald to start sharing her music. Soon she had live gigs in Starbucks and performances in acoustic after show parties. To document her undiscovered talent at that time, she started sending off demos to labels and management companies using her bedroom as her recording studio. She was later on discovered by a minute London – based production house that helped her record her songs with better quality. In less than a year, Amy Macdonald landed a record deal with Vertigo, the same record label that handles U2, Razorlight and The Killers. Amy found herself listed amongst Vertigo’s trail of music legends.

Yet, how does Amy Macdonald survive in an industry who has been dominated by conformists? She dares to be different. She offers a kind of uniqueness that is able to open the mind of traditionalists to give them more faith in their own taste. Her uniqueness is clearly reflected on her first single “Run” that takes on a sad, melancholy tone in its lyrics but is expressed through an upbeat rhythm that an irresistible irony unfolds as the song transpires. “Mr. Rock & Roll” also paints Amy Macdonald’s personality in the way that she sung the song in her rich, bell-clear, gutsy vocal, possessing a compelling rhythmic punch.  The song “Footballer’s Wife” takes ominous strings, thunderous drums and a haunting vocal and Macdonald uses them to wallop a pop culture that encourages silly young women to write their autobiographies. Much attention should also be given to the trumpet – laden atmospheric, “Let’s Start A Band” – a simple song, sung brilliantly, roaring powerfully in her ears and in the head, about how magic it is to love a band, follow a band, be in a band because as Amy would put it, “When you’re a teenager, that’s all that matters”.

Follow the footsteps of these tastemakers by listening to what they have to say about Amy Macdonald’s debut album, This Is the Life:

The Boston Globe – James Reed
”From Scotland comes Amy MacDonald who is a fetching 20 year old lass with a guitar, a strong will, thick eyeliner, and a voice that snaps you to attention… Her song writing themes are universal, but her perspective is decidedly youthful. “Poison Prince” is a salute to forever-in-trouble rocker Pete Doherty, and MacDonald makes her rock-star ambitions clear on “Let’s Start a Band”: “Give me a stage and I’ll be a rock ‘n’ roll queen/ Your 20th-century cover of a magazine/ Rolling Stone, here I come/ Watch out, everyone/ I’m singing, I’m singing my song.” We give her a year before she’s headlining the Orpheum.”

Evening News the Edinburgh Paper – Lewie Peterson

“Possessing a voice that makes a mockery of her youth, she produced show-stopping covers of Caledonia and Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark to cap off a very decent night’s work. Perhaps if more of her own age see her live; it won’t just be the adults going mad for Macdonald.”

Become a reformed conformist and start developing a taste of your own. Get a copy of Amy Macdonald’s debut album This is the Life available in CD at your favourite Astrovision, Odyssey, Music One and Fully Booked stores. Amy Macdonald’s new album is also available through mobile downloads via your service provider and through internet download at fliptunesplus.net.

(article and photo courtesy of MCA Music Inc.)