Anna May: “The Show”

Creative people tend to flock towards those who highlight what they appreciate best. Vocalists study Whitney and Mariah, guitarists watch the likes of Santana and Slash with hawk eyes, and songwriters always appreciate Dylan and Costello. For those who fall into the latter, Anna May may just be who you start to look to in this modern era of music due to her latest single, “The Show.” 

Clocking in at just under eight minutes, “The Show” is a constant stream of thought. An advanced class in storytelling in song formation with perfect bookends that take you full circle. We start with her wandering a crowd, and that’s where we end up. Every line is straightforward, a real-world perspective with ruby red lips that is delivered on top of a funky yet very Nashville-feeling arrangement that stays par the course. 

There are no outbursts, and no spectacles in this song, and it doesn’t need them. This is a song for the songwriters, for the artists who appreciate the construction of the song more than the radio-readiness of a song. There isn’t a grandiose Celine Dion vocal, just a calm demeanor throughout that showcases the simplicity of a particular human experience because maybe, just maybe, as Anna May reveals, “maybe tomorrow could be today.” While I’ll always be a sucker for symbolism and flowery language in songs, I like a line as clear-cut as “maybe tomorrow could be today.” It’s easy, yet philosophical if you take an extra second to ponder while you wander through a crowd on your own. 

Anna May grew up playing piano, inspired by her father’s writings. A love of music was apparent from her beginnings and has since led her to release two albums in a matter of two years; Flimsy Diatribe in 2019, and I’m Still Thinking of You a year later. “The Show” is Anna May’s second release of 2024, following February’s “cloaked in rain.’ Those who appreciate empathetic songwriting as well as artists such as Allegra Krieger and Joanna Sternberg will want to check out Anna May’s “The Show.” 

Anna May “The Show”
Release Date: August 26, 2024
Genre: Acoustic, Folk
Reason to Sing Along: Beauty in Songwriting