Song of the Day: Maylee Todd “Downtown”

Dynamic Toronto-based singer-songwriter Maylee Todd has taken a surprising turn away from her energetic funk-fueled pop on her latest album Acts of Love (out now on Do Right! Music). After the forceful full funk band release of 2013’s Escapology, Todd retreated to the electronics and synths in her home studio to record an intimate set of understated songs that evoke the late night R&B moods of Sade and Aaliyah, and creates new links to contemporaries like The Internet and SZA.

Lead single “Downtown” rides a bell-ringing synth lead and a minimal beat while Todd builds a complex melodic arrangement through multitracking her own rich, breathy vocals. Without succumbing entirely to the melancholy of her lyrics, Maylee Todd has created warm, enveloping sounds perfect for long winter nights.

Acts of Love is available in both digital and double-vinyl formats via Maylee Todd’s Bandcamp page.

From the Do Right! Music site:

Maylee Todd is a dynamic and multi-faceted artist, based in Toronto. Her creativity derives its inspiration from a wide range of artistic disciplines: songwriting, production, film, performance art, and design. Maylee’s music combines organic and electronic forms, including elements of boogie, bossa, space funk, psychedelia and soul. She is truly a free spirit who brings all of these seemingly disparate influences into honest, soulful, harmonious yet uncompromising vibrations.