ALBUM REVIEW: Madison Cunningham – Ace

Photo by °1824 / UMG

Review by SoundCheck Mag

Photos by °1824 / UMG

Madison Cunningham has always felt like a painter who uses chords and vocals instead of brushes. The California-born singer-songwriter has long been celebrated for her blend of technical precision and emotional storytelling, and on Ace, she delivers what feels like her most cinematic and self-reflective work yet. A Grammy winner and master of subtlety, Cunningham has created an album that feels like walking through her own storybook; one where magic, melancholy, and mastery coexist on every page.

---

The album opens with “Shatter Into I,” a 46-second piano instrumental that immediately casts a spell. It’s soft and enchanting, like fairies fluttering through the air. You can picture yourself in the woods, pausing to take in the glow of light through the trees. That short, wordless piece leads into “Shore,” setting the tone for a record that’s both intimate and otherworldly. Cunningham’s voice feels like part of the forest itself - warm, grounding, and entirely its own ecosystem.

“Wake” (feat. Fleet Foxes) takes the album to new lyrical heights. The line “My head is full of thunderclouds keeping aircraft off the ground. Who will this lightning round of suffering?” is the kind of poetry that stops you in your tracks; a reflection on internal storms and the quiet beauty of resilience. It’s a stunning collaboration that’s meant to be, blending her voice with the harmonies of Fleet Foxes to create something you could imagine hearing in your dreams.

“Break The Jaw” is another standout track with the line “No one’s ever smiling back at me, but a look can draw blood so easily”. This lyric is so cutting edge and hits you right where you feel it. Cunningham is crafting emotional architecture with these lyrics. Every word is carefully placed, every melody feels like a thread connecting heartbreak and hope.

Ace is an album that’s like a story inviting you inside it. There’s something rare about music that feels both deeply personal and that resonates with you, but Cunningham manages that balance. This record feels like the sound of an artist fully in her element, and SoundCheck is so here for it.