(Hollywood). I love going to release parties, especially parties to celebrate the release of a new single or a video because you know you are going to get more than just the release. “More” is exactly what Maggie Szabo delivered Friday night at The Loft on the 12th floor of the W Hollywood Hotel. Billed as a BalconyTV party to celebrate the release of her new single and video, “Forgive and Forget”, she gave us a set list of new, never- heard-before songs. Why new songs? Because she was road testing them – that’s how Maggie operates: she is patient, she road tests her music with her fans and she gets it right.
She got “Forgive and Forget” right. I first heard her perform it in a road test gig at the Hotel Café almost a year ago, I realized that she had moved to a whole new level, as I said in my review . But the performance Friday night was also a new level for the Canadian-born LA-transplant soul pop singer, even with her history of 13 million YouTube views. Maggie’s entire performance was red hot, from her red mini-skirted dress, to the red light that bathed the stage, to the intricate gold necklace on her chest that bounced red beans around the room as she shook, shimmed and radiated energy like a red dwarf star.
Maggie has always been able to get people moving and shaking with high-energy soul pop drenched in hooks. But the diminutive, 113-pound cross-fit athlete controlled the stage with energy of 10 women. Moving on the stage, working with her band and backup singer, shifting from microphone to keyboard and back again, Maggie packed more punch into her act than I have seen before without losing the heart and the personal touch that makes her so attractive.
The ten songs she laid down at The Loft were all new, with the exception of the opening number, her hit “Tidal Waves and Hurricanes. Those of us at The Loft who have watched Maggie’s career since she came to LA two years ago knew that she was road testing the new songs for a forthcoming album. Except for “Forgive and Forget”, none of the new songs have been released and will likely be tweaked before she lets them into the wild, which is why I won’t post video of them here. (Subscribe to her Youtube channel or follow her on Facebook to know when the album is ready).
In the meantime, Maggie fans, and fans of pop and soul and fun nights in clubs, should catch her gigs until she releases the album to see how she tightens each tune until it’s exactly what she wants. The final product will be awesome and watching the trip there will be a musical experience not to be missed.
Patrick O’Heffernan. Host, Music FridayLive!
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