Greetings dearest readers and music fans I present to you the US artists The Mack brothers. The Mack brothers are John Mackara who plays keys, guitar, bass, and vocals while Matthew Mackara plays the keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. On 30th August, the brother duo released an 11-song album called ”Southern Skies”. Let’s talk more about the album

The first song on the album is called “Dottie. This track features the Phyllis sisters and Taylor Taylor. The intro is a cascade of beautiful and dreamy guitar sounds. The song talks about a character who is trying to convince his partner Dottie not to leave him. He reminds her of the good times they had together and how he was a better person because of her. He does not only talk about their relationship with rose-colored lenses but states and admits his faults and shortcomings. The character then begs Dottie not to leave him(” Oh Dottie, don’t go, don’t go”). The vocal performance on this track is very captivating and the harmonies were perfect. The song has a captivating electric guitar mid-song and after the harmonies with the Phyllis sisters. With this song, you know that you are in for a good time listening to this album

Next comes the song “Country Woman”. The song’s intro contains sounds of people at a bar, park, or barbeque, you can hear the excitement in their voices and the clinking of bottles as they say cheers to the great time they are having. There is also a very nice drum beat and mouth percussions( na na na na na). The song describes a person who was down on his luck and found someone who fell for him. He describes her features, complimenting God for his work creating her. She took over his world and made him a better person so she called his countrywoman or country girl (” You’re my countrywoman, you’re my country girl”). The song is country and the vocal performance and instrumentation (electric guitar solo). The additional sounds make the song even more immersive than before

Next up is” Demons and Desires”. This tune opens with piano sounds that sound pop-like before the guitar and drums set in. The song speaks about a character who still does childish things and fights his desires and demons to ensure that doesn’t lose his way or lose the people he loves along the way. (” And the ones you love will all say goodbye”)The character at the beginning of the song is hopeless but by the time the song ends, he has hope to keep going on(”I wake up every morning with a sense of hope, cause I know that I gotta keep going strong”). The song sounds triumphant and motivational and that is a quality that this song possesses

“Take a ride” is The song that comes next. Soft and tender guitar strums open the song. The theme of the song is quite like Bonnie and Clyde. Like the couple, the character in the song is convincing his partner to go with him and leave their town behind. This couple are not criminals like Bonnie and Clyde but the man convinces his lady to come with him, go all in with their relationship, and trust him(”take a ride with me, oh take a chance”). The vocal performance is beautiful and the instrumentation is very emotive, especially the guitar solo, I had to fight back my tears because of how it made me feel inside

“Sometimes love isn’t all you need” is the song that follows. This tune also has a tender and emotive intro. The song talks about the very very fine line between love and hate. Throughout the song, the character talks about his broken relationship in the past and how he feels after the relationship ended(” You used to be everything and now you’re nothing to me no”). The song points out the harsh realities of a breakup, it is a difficult experience because a person who once was part of your life is now someone you don’t want to talk to at all. Love really isn’t all you need when it comes to relationships and it’s hard to realize when you are in your honeymoon phase. Relationships need love to survive but there are so many factors to consider and I applaud the duo for talking about these harsh truths. The vocal performance and instrumentation(guitar solo) are very emotive and they will stir something within you

Next is the song “That’ll Do”. The song’s intro is. This song has an upbeat intro then jumps right into the song. The song talks about a character who leans on his partner to be his constant. He talks about how he only needs one thing to survive and that is his partner(” You’re my constant and that’ll do”). The song is a preppy song that you can groove to

“Drinkin’ in Work” is the title of the next song. The song gets right into the vocal performance. The song is about a conversation between two co-workers. They seem to have been working late and were the only people in the office so, the character invites his co-worker to a small drink since all the bars are closed(” drink in work”). The story in the song reminds me of Jim and Pam from the hit series The Office. Like these co-workers, Jim and Pam snuck up to the roof of their office and shared a drink. This country-infused song is very intriguing and the instrumentation is pure perfection

Next is the song “Live Times”. The intro of this song is very intricate and delicate, even when a Beat is added it is still very smooth and soft. The character of the song is reminiscing about his relationship with his ex-lover. He speaks of the good times, how somehow someway there is still a tiny chance of getting back together. The song is so heartwarming and endearing. It takes you on a very awesome ride that you won’t forget anytime soon

Next is the song “Uber Car”. This song features artist Taylor Taylor. The song has quite an exciting intro which is a lovely drum beat and some strings. The song is about two guys and their night in the town. The first guy had been dumped and called the second one hoping to get comfort. The second guy told the first to get whisky, get them a table, and party all night long. Things get rough when the second guy gets into a tussle, kisses a married woman, and gets both of them kicked out. They wandered for a bit trying to charge their phones. Next was when they got kicked out of the Uber they ordered. The second guy did not back off and insisted they go to his house to try some homemade whiskey. This story is comical yet very sweet because the second guy was willing to do anything and I mean anything to distract his friend from his pain and that is real friendship. The harmonies were very beautiful and the words were so descriptive it felt like reading a picture book and following these men on their wild night

Next is a song called “Fruit Punch Loko”. The intro Is slow and glacial. The song is about a person who describes His youth when he was smoking, getting arrested, using fake IDs, and getting drunk. He enjoyed everything in his youth except a drink called Fruit Punch Loko 17. It also talks about nostalgia for youth The instrumentation is so beautiful that you will begin to sway to the music and it will delight you

The last song on the album is called “Christmas in Carolina”. This song is a bonus track and I’m delighted for this gift from the brother duo. The song is about a character who didn’t go home for the holidays like most people do around the holidays. At one point he starts to miss his family so he calls, during the call he gets a wake-up call as to why he decided to celebrate the holidays with his family. This song will resonate with listeners especially those who are a part of a large family because tensions run high during the holidays and a lot of people misbehave at these family gatherings. The song sounds like a Christmas song right from the start and it gets you excited about the upcoming holidays. This was a bonus track that we didn’t ask for but needed so desperately. This wonderful song ends the album

This album really showcased the brothers’ many talents. You can feel the love and camaraderie oozing out of each song. They were well-written and highly entertaining. The music world better look out for these brothers because they will surely dominate the music industry

Stream the “Southern Skies” on Spotify 

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