Rett Madison, Shame is a River Review

Rett Madison is a West Virginia-born LA-based singer and songwriter. Madison evokes strength and poise in her lyrics and songwriting. She grew up listening to music on road trips with her mom – influenced by artists like Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Madonna, Cat Stevens, Norah Jones, Sade, and the Bee Gees. With the support of her parents, she began taking piano lessons. “My first piano teacher, Carla, and her husband, Mike (who also played guitar) are like parents to me too. I spent a lot of time with them as a child taking lessons and even had a room at their house for a summer when I was six years old. I would just sit with Carla at the piano for a few hours and then run around outside at her home in West Virginia with her four German Shepherds. It was a really beautiful time,” she shares.  The 23-year-old Madison has an engaging and compelling vocal style. She also has a gift for and sharing her life experiences through her music. “I try to be open about my queerness and those experiences in my music now, so that kids who may be living through similar experiences that I once did, won’t feel as alone and will know there’s better days ahead of them.” Madison is now releasing her single “Shame is a River.”

 Positives: “Shame is a River” builds to an emotional climax through variating vocal parts, interesting instrument support, and solid production and mixing.

 Bottom Line: Rett Madison’s “Shame is a River” is a moving single. The music and lyrics were written by Madison, and the song was produced by Theo Katzman. Madison explains further, “I wrote “Shame is a River” following an emotional visit with my mother a few months before she died by suicide. She struggled with addiction and her mental health for most of my life, and as I got older, I began to understand that, like my mom, I dealt with anxiety, PTSD, and depression. The song isn’t solely about my experience, but about both my mother and I’s individual experiences with shame and guilt intertwined. At times, I’ve felt like I’ve kept certain pains to myself because I was afraid I would burden people. I’ve come to learn that talking candidly about mental health and being open about what I’m going through can be very freeing and helps keep my head above the water. I’ve also worked with a therapist for about a year now and hope to continue on that path. Going forward with my life, I hope to write music that encourages mental health awareness in memory of my mother, Jacqueline.” Madison sings with emotion and power through her tessiture as she conveys and emotional story. The instrumentation is layered in with well-played and conceived parts. The result is a powerful single that is musical and moving. That’s the short of it!

Connect with Rett Madison: Website |