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December 1, 2024


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Merrie Amsterburg
Season of Rain (Q Division Records)

By: Alex Steininger

Merrie Amsterburg hails from Boston, and is the former front woman for the Boston-based pop-rock band, The Natives. After record label troubles (The Natives almost signed to gene Simmon' Simmons Records) the group disbanded and Merrie started working on solo material, as well as duo material with her husband. With her new material moving in the singer/songwriter acoustic style, she decided to enter Boston's Acoustic Underground, and won the honors of top female soloist. Getting her name out there and having a chance to experience the acoustic clubs was a great experience for her, and it eventually led to her debut solo record, SEASON OF RAIN. A style upon her own, SEASON OF RAIN would best be described as part folk, Celtic music thrown in, all mixed with a heavy pop influence.

Merrie Amsterburg's voice leads the melody, while the lyrics are always the driving force behind the music. Her voice is sweet and sincere, all the while full of sorrow, pain, and hope. She deals with very personal issues, or makes each song feel that way, and keeps the music still enjoyable to the listener. She doesn't make the songs so personal that you listen to them and feel distanced from them, she keeps everything up front and honest, while giving the listener something to think about. From slow and soft numbers like "Island" to Celtic/pop tunes like "Lay of the Land," "Belonging," and "Say Good-bye" she brings out your inner thoughts and emotions, and makes you feel as if she might have written her songs from your perspective, even if the song is something you can't relate to up front.

On SEASON OF RAIN Merrie Amsterburg proves she is a very capable solo artist. She has diversity, passion, and emotion that can be found in every song. Eleven songs fill up this album, and not one of them disappoints. I'll give this album an A.

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