Born Mariah D. Hester, the Louisiana based MARIAH. (stylized with capital letter and a dot at the end of it) is a young rising talent destined for greatness. Raised on church choir performances and talent shows, MARIAH. comes out the gate with Ledisi-like runs, gorgeous tone and a refreshing Cover Girl beauty. And the singer-songwriter uses all of it to the best of her ability on the dreamy acoustic ballad “Material Girl.”
Not to be confused with Madonna’s spoiled AF anthem, MARIAH.’s single is relaxed in a cozy cloud of acoustic guitar and tranquil strings. Inside the Tony Nicholas-produced gem, she ponders the cost of love while searching for the things that matters most: “Loyalty, time, love, patience, teamwork — the things that money cannot buy,” she states in a recent press statement. “I refused to let my voice be muffled by gifts or material things…Once I realized this, I found my strength…and myself again.”
Check out the single from MARIAH in this SoulTracks First Listen and let us know what you think of the “material” inside it.
By J Matthew Cobb
MARIAH. – “Material Girl”
