Authenticity. That’s a quality that many artists strive for, but only a select few manage to attain. Commercial considerations often get in the way, while the modern mechanisms of today’s so-called music business thwart most attempts to arrive at purity or perfection.

Notably then, Remi Mae proves the exception. With her new album, Catch 22 — a follow-up to her self-titled debut EP — Remi goes back to the basics of recording directly to analog tape and eschewing any unnecessary overdubs or extraneous effects. It represents, in very a sense, the 23 year-old singer/songwriter’s coming of age, a journey that began in the Pea Green/Delta area of Western Colorado and then later took flight when she relocated to the Texas Hill Country near Austin. It was there where she caught the attention of many of that area’s leading lights, among them, Cody Canada and Sunny Sweeney, who then, in turn, loaned their voices to the aforementioned EP.  Likewise, she made an appearance on “Roots and Branches,” a popular live radio show hosted by none other than Ray Wylie Hubbard. As a result, it was little surprise when the EP’s first single climbed into the radio Top Ten on the Texas Regional Radio Report, which appears in Billboard’s weekly Country Update.

Nevertheless, the new album marks a decidedly new direction from that formative first effort. It  veers away from its country-style leanings to an edgy rock oriented sound, one flush with vigor and vitality.

“Alignment and a newfound boldness allowed me to write what I wanted to say,” Remi remarks. “The new record is old school, full-throttle rock and roll with an obvious edge and intent. It has a twinge of blues as well. I had a lot to say, and a lot of pent-up energy. With this project, I took the status quo and put it in the blender the first day I stared writing, and then we burned it completely the day we began recording. Considering that I was 19 when I recorded my first project and 22 when I started this, it’s obvious there’s been a shift from my freshman effort to this sophomore offering, one that I’m confident will extend well beyond.”
 

Indeed, the music that results reflects Remi’s energy and enthusiasm, be it courtesy of the turgid and turbulent “Fake Money,” the deliberate pacing given the title track” and the decisive deliberation of “Genesis,”  or the more mellow, seductive and reflective tones of “Search The Night” and “World Traveler”.

 

 “I attribute our creative fluidity to the way the live room in the studio felt,” Remi recalls. “We all sat in a giant circle looking each other in the eye while tracking the music with vintage gear and a certain sense history surrounding us. I’m not in the business of telling players how and what to play. As a result, it allows for actual authenticity and a certain spontaneity. I encouraged everyone to toss their ideas into the pot and that made it all the more cohesive and convincing.”

She singles out several songs that underscore those intents. The driving determination of  “American Diet” emerges as a commentary of sorts that touches on politics, beauty standards, absinthe, the trail of tears, corruption, and materialism. “It’s a bit of a protest song,” Remi explains. “It was very cathartic to write and to sing, but it conveys certain truths that people need to hear.” She calls the steady, stomping “Divine I Pray” a song about how humans have become so biologically disconnected. “I ask myself how we somehow survive with city walls, fake grass and shopping malls,” She says. “It also touches on the current social climate, and the fact that childhood innocence is stolen much sooner now than it ever was before. In a way, this song offered me a kind of catharsis.”

 

Her steady yet assertive take on Robin Trower’s “Loves Gonna Bring You Round” revisits a song from Trower’s 1977 album In City Dreams. “His stylings inspired so much of the new album,” Remi maintains. “I met Robin recently and told him I covered one of his songs. He looked at me and said excitedly in the strongest British accent you could ever imagine, “Alright!”  He seemed so pleased, and he asked me to send it to him so he could hear it. I find that song to be the best example of smoky, guitar-heavy, melodic rock and roll I’ve ever heard.”

Then again, she should know. Her sound and style initially reflected a diverse array of influences, chief among them, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and The Eagles. As her career progressed, her passion took on a personal perspective as well as a desire to communicate honest emotion to others as well. 

Not surprisingly, the critics have taken notice. Justin Loretangeli of procountrymusic.com said of her debut EP, "Remi Mae offers a melting pot of influences on her debut EP...she has a clear vision for the artist she wants to be and the influences she wants to honor, as she taps into various sounds and styles expertly throughout the duration of the EP's six tracks.”

 

Stu Carlson, representing HCS took those thoughts another step further when he declared, “There are plenty of musicians in Western Colorado, but every once in a while a young person steps onto the stage with something special – something like innate talent, as if they were born with some previous knowledge that other folks must strive to achieve…Remi Mae, is one of these rare talents, and her ascent into the music world has been nothing short of amazing."Daniel Laurean of The Collective project podcast said, "She records to analog tape. She writes from the gut. She doesn’t care for fame, but she will change the game…. [She’s] a young artist with something real to say in a world addicted to filters and façade.” 

 

“The minute I started writing and creating this new album, I knew I needed to keep it authentic as far as what I envisioned and my own intents,” Remi maintains. “I have no desire to fit the mold the music business demands and the pressures that accompany them. That would be a failure as far as I’m concerned. I believe art and authenticity go hand in hand. I can accept the fact that it’s not something aimed at mass appeal, but I believe that people that want something real and resilient and refreshing will recognize my music for all that it is. In the end, alignment and authenticity are the only diving factors of my creativity.”

With Catch 22, she proves the point.