CAITLIN MAE

Pindrop Songwriter Series

Sunday March 12, 2023

@ The Clubhouse at Sonny’s in Nashville

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

There’s no shortage of songwriter rounds in Nashville, but to find one that upholds the notion of being a place where songs can truly be experienced takes a little more digging.

To absolutely experience a song, you need a space that is quaint and cozy, a room that respects the craft of weaving together lyrics and melodies into perfect storytelling, and a receptive audience that knows to keep conversations to a minimum so that they can lean in, close their eyes, and digest the artistry that is occurring in that very moment right before them.

The Pindrop Songwriter Series, which just recently celebrated its one- year anniversary, checks off all those boxes to become one of the strongest rounds in town as they take over the living room atmosphere tucked inside The Clubhouse at Sonny’s every Sunday night, offering patrons the chance to hear some of the best emerging talent.

Caitlin Mae, a multiple-award winning songwriter who recently saw her latest single “Fiona” climb into the #1 position at Music Mafia Radio, secured her place in the spotlight during her most recent trip from her home country of the UK to her soon to be adopted home of Music City.

“I’m gonna kick things off with a drinking song,” Caitlin said to a healthy cheer from the crowd. “I’m from Wales in the UK and am only 20 years old, so I’m not the legal drinking age here in the states yet…but I am back home,” she said with a thumbs up nod.

“This is my 4^th visit to Nashville in this past year. My bank account…and my parents…are screaming at me, but I move here in July, so the travel will be a lot less,” she gushed excitedly as she played “Drink of Choice” to open her part of the round after enticing the crowd to raise a glass if they had one in hand.

Her naturally gifted storytelling ability saw her popping a smile into the vibe of the modern country kissed groove as she talked of falling for the bad boy while cleverly dropping in drinking related references such as “you’re my whiskey neat,” “but I’m sober now,” Etc. immediately showing off her incredible songwriting prowess and stunning the packed house to earn a tremendous ovation as the final notes were played.

“My parents are here tonight, and back home we have a family business. When I was 12 years old this guy started working for us; He was five years older than me. Well, he became like an older brother. Fast-forward to when I was 18 and he didn’t look at me like a little sister anymore, but I still saw him as the older brother kind. That became a problem! He didn’t want to be in my life if we weren’t dating and so I wrote this after he left,” she transparently shared as she opened her diary to invite us in through “Remember Me.” 

The softer pace of the melody perfectly matched the vulnerability built into her voice and lyrics as she sang us through her goodbye letter to him, injecting pure heart into the tilts of her voice as she travelled through the bevy of emotions that naturally arrive when having to let go of someone who you cared about; Continuing to showcase her raw, songwriting expertise as she poetically compared her hurt to a bullet wound while maturely wishing him well through her own pain.

“This last one I’m gonna play was supposed to be based on a true story, but two lines into writing it and it had a mind of its own, and well, it’s not true anymore,” she confessed as the crowd chuckled along with her while she shrugged her shoulders. “It's about Tinder and six foot four doctors…I'm not on Tinder, I never will be, and I don't know any six foot four doctors,” she told as she punched into the ultra-catchy, clap along with tempo of “Six Foot Four,” pumping her voice into its whatever/talk to the hand lyric that shares all that he told her about himself on the popular dating app to garner her attention, before she’d meet the potential suitor in person to discover it was all lies.

Caitlin Mae has spent the past week in town making her mark with very crafty songwriting that’s absolutely proven she’s not a newcomer to the craft by any means, and that she’s already two steps ahead.

The amazing thing about a young talent like Caitlin relocating to Nashville, though, is that simply by surrounding herself with the incredible talent in town, she's actually only going to get even stronger as she co-writes more and more. It’s crazy to think about how quickly her star will rise, but dang if it won't be incredibly fun one to watch. The buzz surrounding her absolutely grew loud this week, and in July, it will become deafening when she makes Nashville home!

FULL SET LIST

1) Drink of Choice

2) Remember Me

3) Six Foot Four

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