I had to walk away from my laptop and ponder a number of things following listening to Tell Me Mama by Karra Rhodes. In the end I have decided just to type what comes.

You HAVE to listen to this song. And then listen to it again. And a third time. For a young woman to have brought forth lyrics so poignant and incisive is truly remarkable. This didn’t come from the head. Karra Rhodes tapped into her soul for this. I’m stunned. I have the hairs still standing on the back of my neck. WHAT a songwriter!

This is a piano ballad, backed up with strings and a very delicate touch of bass and percussion that arrives at the precise moment it was meant to. The melody is memorable, catchy and emotive as all hell. And hold mother of pearl, this lady can SING. The soprano she delivers is powerful and full, and she’s able to make full use of the range, dropping to mezzo when required and effortlessly rising to the upper echelons of her upper range.

The song was recorded and polished by my mate Greg Haver (go WALES!) and it has his hallmark perfect production for what the singer was obviously aiming to achieve. Trust me, this single hit me right in the core of my being. What’s the subject? From the EPK:  ‘Tell Me Mama’ about a mother who overcame an unhappy childhood and past hurts to create a better life for her children. Dedicated to her own mother, this heartfelt song is sure to give listeners goose-bumps and resonate with those breaking generational cycles.

A theme of breaking free and making a brave fresh start is clear as she sings: “…Caught up in a freight train that some would call home… Growing up never feeling loved was all she’d known…. Just 18, ticket in hand, one way, there’s no second chance… She got out of there, and she never looked back.”

I lost my mother to domestic violence when I was a toddler. A family is never the same when violence enters the home. It actually stops being a home. And Karra Rhodes has pledged 100% of royalties from this song to Domestic Violence charity SHINE. Not only that, but her publishers have pledged to match it dollar for dollar.

Please play the living daylights out of this song. It’s going onto my personal playlist as well as the Flash-Trax one. It’s not just a worthwhile cause, it’s an amazing song to boot. The empowerment Karra is singing about in her own self from the strength of her own mother is inspiring, not just to women and girls, but to anyone touched by this tragedy prevalent in our society.

I’m going to be screaming out this song on my personal social media. Please do the same. It’s a stunningly beautiful song, and it needs to be heard quite literally everywhere.

Diolch yn fawr Karra Rhodes. x