Madi Diaz - Plastic Moon

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Madi Diaz turned not only to her writing and performing partner (and Berklee School of Music classmate) Kyle Ryan for her new album, she also decided to bring in noted producer John Alagia (Dave Matthews, John Mayer) to help shape and expand the sound of the new songs. The result is the mostly sunny, fan-funded album Plastic Moon arriving January 24 via TinyOgre, a eleven-track collection that leans a little more heavily on melodic pop/folk fare while retaining at times the more acoustic/Americana elements of her fine 2007 debut Skin and Bone. A few of the songs are reworkings of tracks from the duo's '08 EP Ten Gun Salute including the bright pop spangler "Nothing At All" and latest single "Let's Go", adorned with an Ingrid Michaelson-flavored "oh-oh-oh" chorus.

Diaz and Ryan, who met at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, moved to Nashville in 2008 and quickly became staples of clubs like The Basement and Mercy Lounge, gigging with other songwriters and defining their style. Together they insure that there's much to like on Plastic Moon, where Diaz' smoke-meets-honey vocals easily downshift from the bracing, make-you-smile pop of "Johnny" to the warm, pulsing DC favorites "Love You Now" and "Heavy Heart", a track we've described as "a slow-building gem".

Madi Diaz - "Let's Go" (from Plastic Moon)

Madi Diaz - "Heavy Heart" (from Plastic Moon)

Banner Photo: Don Van Cleave

Photo Credit: Reid Rolls