In the music catalog of history, rainbows are a popular topic. However, Riley Max, a singer/songwriter based in Colorado, has reinvented the concept and delivered a masterful debut album. Written, produced and performed when Max was 17, "ROYGBIV" is a beautiful testament to color, artistry, love, heartbreak and the power of performance.
While this is Max's debut album, she has performed live, acted in musicals, sang on recordings and appeared in music videos for many years. At just 18, the prodigal artist was accepted into a master's program in music production at Berklee College of Music, which she is pursuing simultaneously with her undergraduate degree in music at Harvard University.
While her vocals and instrumental abilities are some of the greatest a young person can hope to achieve, her lyrical ability puts her music on an entirely different level. Poetic and brilliantly rhymed, her expressive lyrics create a cohesive and truly unique album.
The album contains nine songs, the first one entitled "18", followed by seven tracks named after colors of the rainbow, all reflecting the different emotions and experiences that the colors bring to mind. The multi-genre album was composed, performed and co-produced by Max, with the help of artists like Doctor Noize, Art Bouton and David Amaya.
In the rock genre lies "Violet", often rhymed with the fitting word "violent." The grating harmonies add an element of clarity to the grunge sound while remaining in line with the song's message, featuring a deep bass line and almost country-rock beat. Her emotive pronunciation of words is seething and perfectly fits the song's theme.
Other songs like "Yellow (Live)" and "Indigo" relate authentic teenage stories in a conversational way that features a narrative style, setting her apart from many artists of her time. Both songs feature a good grasp of the meaning of the colors and are standouts on the album. Songs like "Red" show off her strong vocal technique and definite history of musical theater as she belts impressive notes and showcases a steadily trained vibrato.
In the jazz genre is "Blue," which Max states was the first song she wrote for the album. The song is melancholy, with a hint of self-reflection that can also be seen on "Green," which showcases her mystical vocals, along with "Yellow (Live)."
The final song on the album is "Alphabet Soup," an entirely instrumental, symphonic ending performed by the strings featured on many of the album's other tracks. It is breathtaking and truly expresses the album's meaning without using words but by painting a cinematic picture.
"ROYGBIV" can only be described as a modern masterpiece. Max's blend of style and musical know-how has created a piece of art that can be said to fulfill her goal: "I hope that everybody can relate to at least something in there and take something away."
