Every so often a new artist reaches the ears of #TEAMw21 and the strength of their latest single sends us diving into their back catalogue for further pearls - With Mandi Sagal it is like finding a virtual oyster bed such are the rich pickings to be had!
A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, now based in Nashville her latest single "Could Be" is likely to establish her on many people's radar. With a voice not a million miles away from Lainey Wilson and Maren Morris - the song puts into words that moment when eyes meet and the initial relationship sparks are potentially about to take hold and ignite.
As she puts it in the second verse, this is a relationship all but given the green light to commence.
"You ain't making a move but you should be
Been looking at you
Looking at me"
Later the signals being sent become ever more provocative
"Baby you're not mine
But you could be
This ain't our song but it could be
We're not dancing but we should be
So if you want me
Boy you got me"
It's a tale as old as life itself and Mandi has little trouble in outlining where her feelings lie.
"Last call drink fading into the smoke
Your hands on me
No time for talking on the way home
We could take it fast we could take it slow
Let it go where it's gonna go"
Mandi cuts an interesting figure - she knows things are delicately balanced and so the lyrics are laced with "could be"'s. There's a smouldering urgency in her delivery that is endearing. With a smooth backing mainly of drums and guitar, there is plenty of room for Mandi to shine and shine she does - there's even room for a cheeky final suggestive "But you could be!" that closes this little classic of a song.
"Rose Coloured Glasses" released a month previous is a pure pop country gem that shows a completely different side to Mandi and finds her contemplating what happened to the optimistic outlook of childhood,
"Innocent I used to be innocent
Sidewalk chalky, walking barefoot
Magic in every step I took"
It's a simple 3 line description but along with the cover picture, it establishes a univesal feeling we can all associate with. It also leads Mandi to ponder
"When did my heart get so cold?"
Must have happened overnight
Cos now a quarter of my life is gone, just gone"
The first verse is mainly based around an insistent acoustic guitar riff but the whole tune moves to a different gear once it hits the chorus and Mandi's vocals equally move to another level
"You can't dream in black and white - there's still stars in the dead of night
I'm taking back every moment that passes - looking past all the fire and ashes
To see the world again through Rose Coloured Glasses"
The "fire and ashes" the remnant of bridges burned from a relationship gone wrong.
Recognizing that you are in a rut is half of the problem and later verses make it clear that Mandi has reached that point
"Rough - I'm a diamond in the rough
Bit there's still sparkle under this shine
I just have to brush off all this dust - it's just dust!"
With a mavellous pedal steel solo, this song takes on a pace of its own almost galloping to the finish until the final chorus which temporarily reins thing back in, the background changing thrusting Mandi's vocal further up in the mix before the band are once again freed to take the tune home.
It comes with a lovely video during which we see Mandi age before our eyes through various family videos and is worth watching to the very end for the arrival of an oncoming talent.
There is still the soulful "Retro" to seek out and the relationship blues of "Smoke Your Weed" that all go to form an impressive early catalogue of songs.