Echo Virgil

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense? – The Narrator–A Tell Tale Heart

They broke up?  He kept her. Betrayed the others may have questioned why. Diddy explained. I already knew why. It was the eye. An Eye of A Tiger.

Dawn Richard’s A Tell Tale Heart is more than a mixtape. It’s Dawn’s musical narration of a momentary, nameless, solo artist in tune with all pop music’s genres. As with the nameless narrator, in Edgar Allen Poe’s A Tell Tale Heart, Dawn has a secret that drives her. The watchful eye of the industry and fans may question her sanity to work with a mogul known to give talent just the blueprint for bigger and better. For Dawn, A Tell Tale Heart is the music secret that she cannot contain. Each track flirts with the simplicity of pop music while stamping her genius niche of making more than fluff records. She creates layers.

“The Intro” (The Fall) & “I Know” is Dawn, musically, in the present. The Euro-techno, laced beats and autotune layered backgrounds stay in the same neighborhood as  her Dirty Money collaboration, Last Train to Paris. “Runaway”, “Vibrate”, “Biggest Fan”, and “Superman” are catchy tunes reminisce of her girl band days with group Danity Kane. They’re also a testament to Diddy’s decision to keep the songstress for the Dirty Money venture. The proof is in the production. Right? 

“SuperHero” (Acapella) leaves us wondering if the song is about rescuing a person or her obvious love, Music. Initially a cappella, until the last five seconds, Dawn takes vocal leaps and bounds to save the day. The last moments weave in a track that teases fans with the possibilities of how much more the concept could be. Even with autotune her tone is undeniable. “Bulletproof”,” Let Love In”,” These Tears and “Me,Myself and Y” are the Tell Tale’s  gems with their flawless production and performance. The eclectic mixtape gives limitless range. This well-rounded artist reaches for a musical throne as, maybe, her temporary home. Her blog and website lets us know that sanity may be for those with no story to tell.  Poe’s Tell Tale has the narrator’s story tell of loving an elder but hating his Glaring Eye.  Dawn’s A  Tell Tale Heart keeps one in tune with her heart’s desire: To love the music and throw a finger to the Industry Eye. In the words of  Dawn, “Let Love In”.