Madeline

Athens, Georgia native Madeline Adams began singing and composing songs in the early 2000s while still in her mid-teens. A guitarist and pianist, she crafts material that draws from the styles of Sarah McLachlan, Jenny Lewis, Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, and Janis Ian. Having begun writing and performing live at age 15, Adams—who records under her first name only—issued her debut album, Kissing & Dancing, at 17 in 2002. After several months of independent availability, Plan-It-X Records took on distribution duties. She later aligned with Athens-based Orange Twin, where she tracked her follow-up full-length, The Slow Bang, across 2005 and 2006. The intimate acoustic set, helmed by Mathew Houck of Phosphorescent at his Athens residence, appeared on Orange Twin in early 2007. For 2009’s White Flag, Adams expanded beyond solo minimalism by enlisting a full band and tapping Jason Robira—locally recognized for his work with folk-rock outfit the Ginger Envelope and previously with Louisiana’s the Urbosleeks—as producer. Her fourth album, the kaleidoscopic Black Velvet, arrived in 2011; recorded spontaneously with inspiration drawn from live performance as well as Neil Young’s On the Beach and Tonight’s the Night, it captured that immediate approach.