New music is always a treat but it’s even sweeter when it comes from a fresh artist. CMAT (otherwise known as Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) began releasing singles some time during 2020 but she’s just dropped her debut album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead. CMAT may technically be new, but her new album sounds like an artist who’s been making music for years; and on a professional level. The Irish musician is likely to continue as thus far, the response has been spectacular. Before long other artists will be burning up the wires to collaborate on one of her songs.
CMAT is playing within the area of pop but she’s doing it all her own way in that she doesn’t really sound like anyone else. She has some songs that are catchy, some that are deep, and all of them are in no way shape or form uninteresting. In truth, her sound is so unique to her that it’s difficult to pin her down to one singular type of music even though there are some obvious familiarities here or there. There’s also something of a childish approach to her product that is unalike other musicians. She tends to want to joke around on occasion and yet she is still able to convey an impacting profundity in her work. There’s an intelligence in this ability that shows this mid-twenties artist is wise beyond her years.
If My Wife New I’d Be Dead is pop but there’s a hint of ‘country’ in it, even though most listeners would probably not quantify it as such.
If My Wife New I’d Be Dead is pop but there’s a hint of ‘country’ in it, even though most listeners would probably not quantify it as such. Groundhog is probably the most country sounding track of the collection, coming across as more of an ‘old school’ piece akin to someone like Dolly Pardon at her peak. The opening track Nashville is an obvious ode to her artistic influences (some of which are country) but that’s part of what makes CMAT interesting. Perhaps the most interesting song on the list is Peter Bogdanovich. For those who may not know, Peter Bogdanovich is a Hollywood film director who’s been around for decades and who only just recently passed in January of this year. The lyrics are playful yet come with a fascinating redirect, as she makes a humorous reference to having less than a loving relationship with her father only to then hint at having a romantic interest in Bogdanovich as a result.
There’s no lacking in her capability of creating songs that catch attention and hold it all the way through; and If CMAT’s If My Wife New I’d Be Dead is a testament of her potential then it would be a fair bet to place that she’s going to be on a rapid rise. Some of her new singles have already had more than a million streams on Spotify and the album has only been out for four days. . She’s no longer ‘one to watch’ as she’s stamping her claim as a top tier performer with this outing, and people are already talking.
