Maria Daines: Press

'I Wanna Run Free'

Maria, love your song
you are also a great singer
sincerely, Willie Nelson

'I don't think the UK has given us such powerful music since the glory days of The Who and Led Zeppelin!

True rock is mostly about attitude and Maria has it in great supply! Her songs, co-written by guitarist Paul Killington, kick the proverbial arse.

It is clear at first listen that they are well on their way to musical greatness! But just what is it that makes them so amazing? I think it is the obvious enthusiasm that they put into every note of their music. The great heart and power of the vocals and the quality of the song writing are paramount, but, there is an indefinable thing that happens when someone is born to sing and perform and you experience that rare and precious gift listening to this music.

If you mix Janis Joplin and Melissa Etheridge and add a dash of Gretchen Wilson, you will start to comprehend the powerhouse that is Maria Daines'

Joey Stuckey
May 2008

Maria Daines: Treebone (Maison Alas; 65.41) *** Daines, in England, has the tremendously exciting voice of a blues diva in the making. Her bluesy rock album with Paul Killington on guitar and all other instruments tantalizes as the precursor to her straight blues recording promised for release later this year. Many vocalists go an entire career without reaching the rarefied heights attained by Daines on the edgy, atmospheric 'Ain't Nobody' and the potent ballad 'Bring Your Love Along.'

March issue, 2007

Pink and Maria Daines play Welsh gig for PAW

Pop singer Pink continues her campaigning for animal rights by performing a gig on behalf of Party for Animals Worldwide (PAW) in Cardiff’s International Arena with support by Maria Daines and others.

The PAW 2007 sell-out concert will take place on Tuesday 21st August 2007 at Cardiff International Arena and superstar Pink has added an extra date to her European tour to play this one with support by Maria Daines, Rachael Warwick and Smokin´Circus.

Pink is reported to have said: “I am very happy giving my time to this very worthwhile cause. I am passionate about animal conservation across the world and through my involvement with PAW I believe we can greatly help raise awareness and funds for animal conservation and welfare charities worldwide.”

Pink’s most recent album, ‘I'm Not Dead’ has now sold over one million copies in the UK, and includes four top ten singles, whilst singer-songwriter Maria Daines has been receiving plenty of success with her soulful vocals, hard rock band and her animal rights songs.

Maria Daines’ song Monkey in a Cage has been adopted by Against Primate Experiments (APE) and it will be released on Monday 20th August as a download single for a mainstream chart challenge and to raise money for the charity.

PAW is a non- profit organisation created to raise awareness for animal welfare and conservation projects worldwide through the creation of an annual Party for Animals Worldwide Music event, and the one in Cardiff headlined by Pink will raise money on behalf of SPANA, Marine Conservation Society, Born Free Foundation, The Monkey Sanctuary Trust, PDSA, and Animals Asia Foundation.

A "Listen to me" voice that could split bricks or blast the dust of every static thing within 30 yards - Like pebbles in a grinder - like biting a beer glass.

'Congratulations Maria and Paul on your Artist of the Year Award for the second year running and for your 2007 International Online Music Award nominations for Best Female Solo Artist, and Best Songwriter. It's a huge achievement by any standard but then it's the kind of thing you should expect for producing such fabulous music!"

regards..
Colin Lynch
Executive Director
R Cat Communications

"Purveyors of Excellence in Independent Music"

'and in the end.. the love you take is equal to the love you make' - The Beatles 'Abbey Road' 1969

Maria Daines comes on like a Janis Joplin crossed with Genya Ravan, Juile Driscoll (This Wheel's On Fire) and Tina Turner. You know that, with a title like "TREEBONE", she, and Paul Killington (on guitar), gotta be up to something that's gonna be more than just a "piece of fluff". Well, you're in for a treat. The moment you hear the first song, "Ain't Nobody", you will know, instinctively, that the rest which follows has to be just as substantial. It is! The next song, "One Good Man", confirms this. It starts off nice and gentle, and then, in comes Maria's bluesy vocal. When was the last time you heard raw emotion like this? I bet you'll say "not in a long time".

The album moves on into the next song and, for a slight change of pace, Maria and Paul dive into something almost countryish, "Bring Your Love Along". The blues edge never goes away. Move on to the slower moving "Brandy Queen". It's still there. And there it is again, in the sheer rock and roll pleasure of crunchy guitar laden "Tear Down The Walls".

At this point, you gotta ask: " when was the last time you got your hands on an album you could listen to, start to finish, without having to skip tracks to find something that will grab your attention and keep it?" Every track on this CD drips with energy and raw emotion, even the quiet songs. A well paced album that delivers from beginning to end what others only promise. This is not a pale watered down imitation of classic rock blues. This is the real thing. So, if you're into music with a bite, then "TREEBONE" is just the ablum for you, a bonafide must have.

Music United For Animals is a collection of music that focuses on the plight of animals in the modern world, and one can only hope that this pioneering work inspires other artists to take up the theme. Meanwhile, the voiceless victims of human cruelty could not have wished for a more effective advocate than Maria Daines, accompanied by musician/producer Paul Killington. The language of poetics speaks of the "pathetic fallacy": the ascription of human qualities to inanimate nature. A far more significant--and deeply tragic--fallacy is the failure to ascribe human qualities to creatures in the animal kingdom. Maria Daines offers a powerful antidote, assuming the person of abused, exploited animals and singing their desperation and pain with a depth of authentic emotion that can't fail to touch any but the most calcified spirit. Maria communicates her profound sympathy for the very real and deeply feeling awareness of animals with undeniable, irresistible conviction. And those who share Maria and Paul's concern for animals will be able to identify with the emotional range of the album; for, while some songs, like "I Am The Owner of This Coat," are poignant laments, others explode in angry outrage at the crimes perpetrated against helpless animals by human beings. If you feel anger at the greedy exploitation of puppy mills, at the slaughter of wild horses and whales for profit, at the vicious obscenity of the fur industry, you'll hear your own feelings pouring out in the remarkably powerful voice of Maria Daines and the passionate guitar work of Paul Killington. Maria's voice is a rare instrument, a haunting sound that cuts deep and true, combining exquisite beauty with raw emotion. Hers is a very special talent and one you will be thrilled to have discovered once you make her acquaintance. There are many ancient fables of champions sent by Heaven to fight for the oppressed. Thankfully, such fables sometimes describe a present reality. I'm very, very glad and grateful that Heaven has sent Maria Daines to fight for voiceless animals with a flaming sword of a voice that might cleave through even the ugly armor of human cynicism. If you want an album of richly satisfying music coupled with a message that's moving, meaningful and long overdue, you will love this record. The first song alone is worth more--much more--than the price of the entire outstanding collection. You can't go wrong.

Julia Stephenson: The Green Goddess
Published: 06 September 2007

Last Thursday found me squeezed into a tiny cage with animal welfare campaigner Meg Mathews and chanteuse Maria Daines, who wrote "Monkey in a Cage", the fantastic song that's top of the indie charts and is storming up the main charts. We were raising awareness for Primate Day on 1 September. Horrifically, monkeys and apes are still used in animal experiments despite doctors, scientists, researchers and 200 worldwide welfare groups supporting a ban.

Used to Green Party photo-calls, when often no one turns up at all, it came as a shock to be confronted by about 20 snappers, lured by Meg Mathews who, as the ex-wife of Noel Gallagher of Oasis, is a bona fide celeb, and very nice too.

The snapping went on for some time. We were photographed getting into the cage, climbing out of it, on top of it, under it and pushing it while smiling, looking sad and banging on the bars. Eventually we could climb out and go home, but many animals are not so lucky.

Humans are only locked up for life when they have committed heinous crimes. This doesn't apply to animals. The dolphins stolen from the oceans and put in tiny oceanariums to do stupid tricks for stupid spectators; the wild birds netted and caged; the thousands of monkeys captured in jungles and caged – they have committed no crime, yet must suffer a life of painful confinement.

The campaigners Animal Defenders do a great job drawing attention to the plight of monkeys locked up in dreadful conditions. It's not a fashionable cause, and we'd prefer not to think about it, but we must.

We don't need to capture wild primates and then destroy them in labs. While there are similarities between us and primates, there are key biological differences that make primate research unreliable. The TGN1412 drug trial caused horrific side-effects to human volunteers, although monkeys force-fed a dosage 500 times stronger had no side effects.

If you want to end to primate experiments, email your MEP today and ask them to support the motion being considered by the European Parliament for a ban on primate testing (tomorrow is declaration day for the motion). Already, 293 MEPs have signed up. Only 93 more signatures are needed! You can get your MEP's name and email at www.ad-international.org.

Gandhi said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated." Let's prove that and end this cruelty now.


See www.ad-international.org for information about Animal Defenders International and a download of "Monkey in a Cage"

I think most people expected that when Maria Daines (and partner Paul Killington) won IOMA's Artist Of The Year award in 2005, that they would take off into the real world music business and never be seen online again. Maria and Paul are made of much sterner stuff than that though and the reason for their almost complete silence throughout 2006 was because they have been working to put together a live band that would do them justice. As of the time of writing I have yet to see the band in action but believe me, it's only going to be a matter of time. After all, M&P were MY artists of the year that year too. So, the Maria Daines Band (as they are now known) consist of Paul Killington - guitar, Bob Bampton - bass, Maria Daines - vocals and Dave Whitley - drums.

It would be true to say that since those awards Maria and Paul have become pretty much everybody's darlings and that wouldn't be so if their music wasn't powerful, sophisticated and better than pretty much anything else you are likely to hear - especially in the Blues Rock field. Maria's voice is obviously the first thing you are likely to take notice of; a full bodied blues voice that demands you pay attention or it'll box your ears for you. The second thing you will notice is the absolutely flawless playing of Mr Killington and all. Give it time though, and all of the things that most of us love M&P for will show themselves; sharp, concise lyrics, a song that usually has something to say and a good time feeling that infects every single track I have ever heard from them.

Save Yourself is typical M&P fare, although Maria is showing a more mellow side of her voice than I have heard before but even the most cursory of listens will show you that everything written and said about this artist is true and then some. One of the things that has always impressed me about their tracks is the production nous Paul brings to the party; bigger tracks you will not hear - in any genre you care to name. His use of the stereo spectrum (particularly doing the kind of material they do) is quite startling and is guaranteed to jump out at you from note one, even with a track as laid back as Save Yourself. I heard this last Saturday on Mike-K's SNR show and KNEW I had to review it - principally because it's been fekkin ages since we've heard anything new from this source. Judging by Save Yourself, the wait has been infinitely worth it.

MUST HAVE (as if you didn't know). Stars in their own lunchtime

Steve Gilmore

Maria Daines is a great powerful singer from Cambridge, UK, who, together with fine musician and producer Paul Killington, delivers an outstanding, original and very personal blues rock music. With her unique voice she can do what she wants, and considering the number of awards she has taken, including best international artist of the years 2006 & 2007, my opinion is shared by so many people in the music industry. Blasoned Maria has two records available plus one almost ready, and she's going to tour ro reinforce her reputation and promote her forthcoming LP. As we say in Italy, words are zero, instead of describing Maria, the best thing to do, to enjoy her beautiful warm passionate voice, is to listen to her vibrant songs on her site, a stunning site for blues and classic rock lovers. I've chosen from her more than notable
album "Treebone" an unusual amazing blues song, "You ain't the pickety po", don't have any idea of what it means, but it sounds bloody great.

Long life to Maria Daines!!!


Radio Basile
Roma, Italy

Maria Daines and Paul Killington joined SongPlanet a little less than two years ago, and in February managed to reach the very top of our Top 100 Radio Artists of all time chart. This was no small feat! Our charts are based entirely on DJ plays, and with more and more great music arriving on the site, the competition is truly fierce!

Maria and Paul have been recognized as outstanding Indie artists here at SongPlanet and on many other music sites. They also are committed advocates of animal rights, using their music to support a variety of animal protection causes. Congratulations, Maria and Paul on reaching the top!

I love it when a fellow Brit emerges onto the scene with a refreshingly brilliant album and Maria and Paul have done just that on so many levels that it's actually quite laughingly astonishing! What Paul's stunning musicianship and production do to this classic album is beyond words really but then Maria's eye-widening and intuitively passionate vocals are what provides the necessary balance for an award winning soulful performance.

The album opens up with the unmercifully amazing Ain't Nobody - an Aretha-esque adventure into the land of the heart and soul enriching audio realm where few vocalists of the same standard are adorned with praise and appreciation. Beautifully expressed vocals and stunning bass and guitar work are so well complimenting that you're hit on a whole load of emotional levels in a kinda state of awe! One Good Man delivers mesmerizing vocals and guitar work that is the stuff of the greats and I do mean the 'true' greats darlings! Wouldn't you love to live next door to Maria and Paul just to have the pleasure of being kept awake by the rehearsals and recordings going on in that house? Yep... told yaaa!

The dreamy guitar riffs that open up the rather unforgivingly lovely Bring Your Love Along have obviously been imported from the other half of the sky... and the part where the sun is just happens to be in the hands of Maria's stunning vocals for this incredible masterpiece in songwriting. If the record industry hasn't woken up to this amazing artist yet... then the medication they have taken must be absolutely lethal!

Brandy Queen is the kind of Janis/Tina song my Aunty Mary would have given up a whole carton of Embassy Mild and three crates of Guinness for! Very clever vocals and lyrics are married in such a way that firmly establishes Maria as one of the Best British Female Vocalists of our current times. The versatility and style meanderings that occur in this song are rather amazing to say the least... I'm already getting the impression that Maria's TV license and Council Tax must be provided free of charge as a token of national appreciation! But then we arrive at Tear Down the Walls which is, without a doubt, one of the finest examples of rock and roll that I have heard come out of England in many, many years! Startling vocals and fantastically meandered fret board work make this song a real classic and Maria and Paul should truly be walking on air having their names assigned to the responsibility for this song! What an intensely amazing live performance these guys would have us enduring!

Til I Feel Better is the song that almost had me booking a flight back to the UK just to say hello! Mesmerizing and soulfully enchanting vocals are of the kind that pierces all the right places at once. Again, we are reminiscing on what made Tina Turner and Janis Joplin and Patti Labelle and Millie Jackson divas of their time cos it's just happened here to Maria. There's no doubt that we are indeed not only feeling 'treated' to something wonderful here... but you feel rather 'blessed' at simply having the opportunity to listen. It's that good folks... get your credit/debit card ready and tell British Telecom they're gonna have to wait!

Pack-a-Punch-Mama is what my partner Elley Wilson describes as 'pure unadulterated head bliss for the soul!' with it's country connotations and communions that leave you suitably impressed and in no doubt of Maria's vocal range and prowess. The guitar playing is incredible and at this point I'm gonna ask Paul to send me a guitar pick of his to hang on the R Cat office wall that I can have blessed to ward off evil!

Wicked Eyed Mule delivers that delightfully clever Stevie Nicks/John Martyn style vocal right into the heart of your lap, then your chest, then deep into your soul! After the first minute, the piano arrives to pack in the prizes besides the guitars and you feel like you're in a kinda 'Music R Us' Superstore without the security guys and a huge shopping trolley full of Maria Daines songs!

Too Bad Henry meanwhile, is perhaps one of the best female-fronted rock songs I have heard in decades! The production is superb (as it has been throughout the album) and the arrangement is stunning. Lyrically, the elements of wit and sarcasm work brilliantly and you realize that the scale you set earlier for good ole classic rock has just been extended! You Don't Love Me follows your complete and utter disbelief from the previous vocal performance with some even more meaningful disbelief in the truly classy vocal performance here. 'You don't love me' is a beautiful and passionately delivered song filled with a heightened sense of realism that we can all relate to.

We revisit 'Henry' in Henry's Mother and again we are treated to some very clever songwriting with the kind of arrangement some of the world's best producers must dream of working with… The thing is they'd have to at least equal or surpass Maria and Paul's production here and I honestly can't see that happening can you? It takes some doing to get vocals this well recorded and they've done it perfectly. Brilliant!

You Ain't the Pickety Po takes us back to the kind of vocals that classic female artists build careers upon. I really do hate comparing cos it's silly really when you're this good a singer but you'll find hints of Buffy Sainte Marie, Cher (at her best), and Janis Joplin to name a few. If you let go of the comparisons however, you get Maria Daines at her throat engaging best. A consummate artist with a magnificent arrangement and startling production all over again!

Number 13 is the final track on the album and I really do wish it wasn't. You see... magical performances are drug-like once you get the first few fixes...it's a long time before you can be truly rehabilitated. With this song... with these fine vocals over such a superb song... you don't wanna be rescued or de-sensitized from anything. You just want more and more and...

Maria Daines and Paul Killington are without a doubt, two of the finest musical virtuosos ever to have mastered their craft in England, packaged it up, and made it possible for us to share in many, many years. Treebone is an important album in many respects... buying the album should be made mandatory and, for Her Majesty's Government, Maria and Paul are assets that should be given their TV Licenses and Council Tax vouchers free for life at the very least simply for making such wonderful music possible.

Colin Lynch
November 6 2005

Maria Daines is one of the greatest singers in the animal rights movement! Her great song, "Rise Up", has been played extensively in the US.

Her new song, "Monkey in a Cage", is a real winner! Another great song from Maria Daines!

A CAMBRIDGE-based singer-songwriter is mounting a chart challenge with a twist.

Award winner Maria Daines and her band will release Monkey in a Cage this week. They have promised to donate the money from all downloads and purchases to Against Primate Experiments (APE), an organisation committed to stopping experimentation on animals - in particular monkeys.

The Maria Daines Band will support American rock superstar Pink at an event in the Cardiff International Arena tonight.

The gig is for the Party For Animals Worldwide charity launch.

Maria Daines - Self-titled EP, Self-Recorded
Rock and roll has long been associated with a political message - usually one challenging authority or status quo. Maria Daines’ blues-tinged rock songs carry a similar punch, with this three-song EP appealing to a variety of causes.
Opener “Set Us Free” is a song dedicated to stopping horse slaughter, “Andrew” is a powerful ballad sung for the Animals Asia Foundation (www.animalsasia.org), while the country-rock of “Street Kids” is sung for Street Children Of Brazil (www.projetophoenix.org). Daines uses her beautifully rounded, Ann Wilson-meets-Bonnie Raitt-style voice to get her messages across, and it works very well. Without the causes, this is still some finely crafted music. Making it a philanthropic venture just makes it that much more special.

Music for a cause is nothing new but music solely devoted to animals does seem novel. Maria Daines, a British singer and songwriter has just released a CD entitled, Music United for Animals, that is aimed towards the cause of animal rights and welfare. Says Maria, “As a child I had many pets and my mother taught me how to respect animals.”

Indeed, her album espouses the cause of animals in a medley of situations, starting from dogs in Romania to the horses of the US. “I can think of no better reason to create music and I would like to make a difference that I can feel in my heart, and share with others,” remarks Maria.

The CD features 13 songs, all of which are thoroughly enjoyable. The best song of the album is the ballad, I am the owner of this coat, to make people aware of the horror of the fur trade. Maria has also voiced her concern for Indian animals. Recently, she wrote a song for a protest concerning an elephant polo match organised in Jaipur. She has also performed on BBC recently.

“Everywhere, the animals need a friend,” says Maria. The animals surely have one in her. (The CD is available for order from her website: www.maria-daines.com/home.html)

"Monkey in a Cage” is a powerful protest song written and performed by internationally
acclaimed artist, Maria Daines, who last autumn signed up to the Berlin Declaration which calls for an end to experiments on primates.

Read more…

"Monkey in a Cage” has been successful on independent music charts and Maria will be supporting pop singer “Pink” at the launch of “Party For Animals World Wide", at Cardiff International Arena, on the 21 August and recommending the track to animal lovers worldwide, who are being asked to download it on its release day – 20 August 2007 - to get it into the charts in time for International Primate Day on 1 September.

You can listen to the track at: http://www.maria-daines.com/music-40.html

“Monkey in a Cage” will also highlight Written Declaration 40/2007 which is currently before the European Parliament and calls for a timetable to end all experiments on primates across Europe.

To date, 296 MEPs have signed this important Declaration, with a total of 394 needed by 7 September. It is vital that people contact their MEPS TODAY. And urge them to sign the Declaration.

See which MEPs have signed the Declaration and find out how to contact your MEPs

Advice and guidance for this project has been given generously by a music promoter working with Sting and Sheryl Crow. It is estimated that only 8,000 downloads are needed to enter the mainstream charts, so there is little doubt that with your assistance, together we have
a very real possibility of achieving our aim, to hit the charts in time for International Primate Day on 1 September.

Remember, as few as 8,000 downloads might be required to put the plight of laboratory primates into the charts, so please get ready to download ‘Monkey in a Cage’ on 20 August!

Maria Daines/Paul Killington - I Am The Owner Of This Coat

Last years Artist Of The Year has been suspiciously inactive for much of the year, at least on the online scene. However, my puny, insignificant membe... ummm award paled into the background when the full glare of internet publicity (Ed: ain't that a hoot?) fell on Maria and Paul when they also won IOMA's Artist Of The Year 2005 Award. That, my friends, is pressure. Nonetheless, I've been keeping tabs on the Cambridgeshire contingent and know that they have lots of real-world stuff happening (a live band, gigs, opening of supermarkets, that kind of thing) but they've also become highly involved with animal welfare; as is typified here in the most heart-breaking song you are ever likely to hear - whatever your thoughts on animal welfare are. With its understated arrangement and production, I Am The Owner Of This Coat leaves Maria to fully express every single emotion it is possible for that tremendous voice to pour into an already emotive subject. The CD Music United For Animals has just been released and boasts this front and centre as track one - which it is, in every respect. (Ed: right, and this would be the vocalist you keep referring to as The Gob would it?)

Animal lovers around the world are being urged to download the song, "Monkey in a Cage” from its release day, today, to get it into the UK Top 10 by International Primate Day (IPD) on 1st September and help laboratory monkeys.

"Monkey in a Cage” is a powerful protest song written and performed by internationally acclaimed artist, Maria Daines, who last autumn signed up to the Berlin Declaration[1], which calls for an end to experiments on primates.

Maria Daines explains: “For too many years primates have been incarcerated behind the walls of impenetrable establishments in the name of animal research. Advances in science show that testing on primates is unnecessary. When the opportunity arose to give a voice to the plight of these poor creatures it was an easy song to write, just imagine you are the monkey in a cage.”

"Monkey in a Cage” has been successful on independent music charts and Maria will be supporting pop singer "Pink" at the launch of "Party For Animals World Wide", at Cardiff International Arena, on the 21 August and recommending the track to animal lovers worldwide, who are being asked to download it from its release day – 20th August - to hit the charts in time for IPD on 1st September.

Jan Creamer, chief executive of ADI, said: "Monkey in a Cage” will also highlight Written Declaration 40/2007 which is currently before the European Parliament and calls for a timetable to end all experiments on primates across Europe.

To date, 296 MEPs have signed this important Declaration, with a total of 394 needed by 7 September. It is vital that people contact their MEPs before then and urge them to sign the Declaration.”

See MEPs who have signed the Declaration and find out how to contact your MEPs at:

http://www.ad-international.org/mmap/go.php?id=827&ssi=60

Advice and guidance for this project has been given generously by a music promoter working with Sting and Sheryl Crow. It is estimated that as few as 8,000 downloads are needed to put the plight of laboratory primates into the charts.

For information on how to download the track, visit:

http://www.againstprimateexperiments.com

Fozzie Bear's Story

When it makes the author of "How Could You?" cry... ! This should be playing everywhere puppies are sold. Little Fozzie's halo will be gleaming tonight.

Jim Willis

Maria's kayak

Maria Daines has received a Kayak award for her song, Mercy

Horseheath based singer-songwriter, Maria Daines, has been awarded a prestigious Golden Kayak award, along with her partner, co-writer and producer, Paul Killington.
The duo received the honour from the Independent Artist Company, for their song Mercy, which won best song in the easy listening/soft rock genre.

The award puts Maria and Paul in good company, as another winner was Pete Townshend, of The Who, who won best song for Just Breathe, which he wrote with Rachel Fuller.

Maria and Paul are currently working on songs for their new album, Boneyard, which follows on from last year's Treebone album.

Inspired by a newspaper article on the history of travelling circuses, they have written a spoken word piece, entitled The Ballad Of Mary Ann Bones, whose protagonist campaigned against the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.

Maria said: "This topic is very much in the public eye at the moment, with a bill being read in UK parliament that may end the use of wild animals as entertainment in the circus.

"We have received hundreds of e-mails and letters from supporters of our music all over the globe. People are especially interested in issues of animal welfare that we bring to attention in our songwriting."

It's been a particularly busy period for Maria and Paul. They are currently working on a song about the seal cull in Canada.

The duo also recently hosted an episode of a blues and jazz podcast, where they interviewed their friend, the legendary Texas Jake Lee, known as the King Of Slide.

And in January this year they were interviewed by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and had four of their songs played, which provoked a great response.

More details about their work, to buy the album and to stay updated on Maria, visit www.maria-daines.com

Black Mariah by Maria Daines

Big staggering, swampy, fat-tone blues. This is a real bottle of corn whisky this one. This really steps down into the southern ponds and churns up things from the bottom. You just can't get away from the beat on this one, it's like trying to swim through molasses with two open bottles of JD in your hands that you don't wanna spill. Just love it.

The UK has made a huge contribution in so many ways to the world of music but for truly astonishing blues singers it's a bit like solar flares... they tend to shine really brightly and fade for lengthy periods until they unpredictably flare up again. Maria Daines approach to blues and soul however, is a stunningly bright and more permanent affair and I would have no hesitation in placing her as one of Britain's best female singers to have emerged in recent years.

Maria's debut album 'Treebone' is an absolute treat for the ears and a superb contribution to the genre it has permanently illuminated!

First Avenue of Sound

Maria Daines - Treebone


Maria Daines is the vocal side of a duo also comprising of guitarist and musician Paul Killington, the quality of song writing is superb with depth of feeling rarely encountered, played and sung with soul. The album starts off with a fearsome lament of feeling and loss 'aint nobody' with Maria's wonderful vocals displaying mood and Paul's wailing guitar reflecting the tears. 'One good man', although lighter, doesn't let you off the hook as Maria shows her determination to keep you deep inside the cocoon of feeling created in the opening song, the third song on the album Treebone has Maria opening up, displaying throaty purrs to soaring vocals while Paul displays his musicianship by staying with her and at times even taking the lead. The first three songs on this album are worth the purchase price alone, but the beauty of Treebone is that there are 13 songs of shining brilliance that are not restricted to blues rock but also include some country tempo's, but they never forget that a good song revolves around lyrics that touch people.

Mercy

This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It lives inside me.

T.J.

'Mercy'


There are many great voices in the music business, and a few great singers. Great singers with great voices are all too rare, because a dollar driven world can't deal with them - and there's just not many around ! So I'm going treasure the combination outlined above, with a very fine song.

Artist Of The Year 2005

The last award has also been the hardest thing I have had to do this entire year. With the wealth of talent on show, and the extremely high quality displayed, this has been the nightmare year from hell for me because I HAVE to pick ONE??? Right up until recently, I had a handful of contenders for this award, any one of them could have won it. Then I started to really consider what exactly I thought this was all about. For me, being an artist of the year should mean that they bring something extra special with them - something no other artist around (to my knowledge) has. It was the reason I picked Nad Sylvan in the very first of these awards and why I picked Jim-n-Lisa last year. It's a combination of great musical talent, nous about how to apply that talent and an unerring ability to cross lines - especially in the ears of the listener.

Nad has proved in every which way that I was justified in giving him the honour (if indeed it can be called that) as had Jim Miller over the past year, both increasing their audiences and musical boundaries with ease. If this award were purely about musical talent, then I would probably right now be handing this award to Sylvan & Bonamici but by the slimmest of margins because my Artist Of The Year 2005 brings their own prodigious musical talent into the arena too and on that score they are, frankly, unstoppable. It's that unstoppability that ensured they stayed in the race, despite some extremely tough competition from the likes of Nad and Bon, over a long period of this year. After all, I first thought these would be a contender for the award as early as May. It should come as no surprise then, that my Artist Of The Year 2005 is...

Maria Daines and Paul Killington.

Hold on, hold on, she's a gobby beehatch and he's an old bluesy innee?? How does that qualify for such a prestigious (if slightly grubby) award, so some dissenting voices might say. IF I could find any dissenting voices, that is. An award such as this should denote something extra special shouldn't it? Soul, my friends, is special and an oceanic vista of it is what M&P are all about, and it shows through every breath and every note. These people were born to do this and you can hear it loud and proud in their care worn, timeless music. The thing of beauty that comes from the aforementioned 'gobby bi**' is undeniable in its intensity and depth of feeling; it's sheer AUTHORITY a breathtaking and captivating experience. When Maria sings, everything stops and you know you are in the presence of something entirely outside the normal spectrum.

It's the melding though of that unique voice and style with the guitar and production skills of Paul Killington that really sweeps the listener off their feet. That combination of vocal with the fluid, incredibly emotive leads and perfect backing track that make this all much more than the sum of its parts. Right now I could point to any number of this artists tracks and say - without a seconds hesitation - 'that'll blow your head off' and know that it would do precisely that. There isn't anything around that sounds like Paul Killington, and this from a guy whose Rock God is Jimi Hendrix, followed closely by Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and other countless blues influenced guitar heroes. Im my mind, Paul Killington is a latter day version of all of these names and should be cherished just on the strength of that. Nonetheless, it's their combination that makes the whole deal work and ensures that their music - and their love of it - could transcend any boundaries. I know they have touched a tremendous amount of people this year, and in a very short space of time too, but what they are likely to do in the future is something I look forward to with great anticipation.

So, there ya have it. 2005, as I've already said, has been a remarkable year, full of ups and downs for all of us, a couple of rocky patches for a great many, and some great, great music along the way. Looking back now on 2003, I kinda wish I had never started this whole affair because - to be honest - it just keeps getting harder and harder each year to pick deserving winners. There are so many deserving winners it's criminal, and no greater indictment of the ineffectual real world music business could do greater damage. While the music world falls apart around its ears, the music business is all but deaf to the talent and diversity online and long may it remain so. Ultimately though, an artist like Maria Daines/Paul Killington or Sylvan & Bonamici WILL get through to a much larger audience, its inevitable. In many ways I hope they do it under their own steam and flying their own colours because that - if anything - is what this is all about. We, the musicians, declare ourselves free and proud of being a part of something that is, finally, different.

Music, just for the sake of it. Yeah, there's another thing isn't it??

I'd like to thank ALL of the artists who have entrusted me with their hard work this past year, I know its often not easy to go through this process, I hope I have - in some small way - made it worthwhile.

Fellow musicians, I salute you.

Steve Gilmore

Rag n' Bone

"This is a classic in the style of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya (remember the Threepenny Opera?)! Bravo Maria! a great song and commentary on our miserable society!"

Zelda

The real deal here listeners...

If you have already listened to the tracks on this album...don't waste your time reading this. Can't see how you would not be already in the process of purchasing this extraodinary album. Maria Daines is it man. We all whine about what has happened to music..and where did the blues go..well...it went into the making of TREEBONE! I could go on with clever ways to describe how good this amazing talent is, but it just would not do justice to the work...you just got to listen. And believe me, it gets better and better the more you hear it. Find out for yourself.

The translation -

Paul sounds modest, the “I Want” of Maria aren’t that easy to all be realized, the duo Daines/Killington, independent artists from Cambridge, England, are in my humble opinion on their way to soon present a bit more than fuss. Their album “Treebone” ("an eclectic mix of all that we are and some things that we're not. Whatever it is we're proud of it." M & P) could be a breakthrough to sign a contract with a major label. With the opener “Ain’t Nobody” it sounds as if ‘our’ Dani Klein & Vaya Con Dios resound through the speakers. But soon Maria Daines proves with the bluesy ”One Good Man” and the (soul)jewel “Bring Your Love Along” why, at her home base, her voice’s considered as a combination of the voices of Janis Joplin, Elkie Brooks, Maggie Bell, Melissa Etheridge and Aretha Franklin. “Don’t you know I’m crazy” or the relation between women and brandy is explained in the beautiful acoustic “Brandy Queen”. As to me...the ‘sea of fire’ and the tempo are being pulled up with the little blues rockers “Til I Feel Better” “Too Bad Henry” and “Tear Down The Walls”. Paul Killington’s rockin’ guitars and Maria’s voice are the fundamental tools! A bit less speed with some country sounds on “Pack-A-Punch-Mama” roots/rock on “You Ain’t The Pickety-Po” (with a very ‘fat’ laugh) and the fortune hit “You Don’t Love Me”. It’s been yeeeeeeeears since I’ve heard a song with so much hit potential as this ballad. Totally suitable to scream out your pangs of love, in the car or in your room, it makes you take out your handkerchief as movie soundtracks do and Radio 1 (a very popular radio in Belgium) should be playing the tune over and over and again... “You Don’t Love Me” on it’s own would justify the act of buying this wonderful album, but also the other songs on it, all made by the duo Daines/Killington... let there be no doubts, it’s a first class album! A voice that gives you the goose-pimples, an awesome guitarist (Les Paul) who even plays all instruments + has the role as co-producer... It’s a recommendation... “This is a woman who sings with her heart in her mouth” You can always view an extensive interview on http://www.mixposure.com/zzaj-mp.php

Treebone is the new CD by Maria Daines and Paul Killington from the United Kingdom.
This is one of the best CDs I have heard in a very long time and I cannot recommend it enough. Beautifully recorded and sung by an amazing vocalist! The songwriting is superb and the performances are on fire!

Maria Daines is a distinctive singer, who knows how to belt out a song and leave you dying to hear more. But since time immemorial people always ask for comparisons and so if you allow me to indulge myself… if you mix the vocal styles of Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Melissa Etheridge, and throw in the soul of Aretha Franklin and the phrasing of Barbara (yes Barbara Streisand who’s vocal phrasing is almost as amazing and unique as Frank Sinatra’s) then you have an idea of the marvelous talent Maria Daines is.

Paul Killington musicianship should be envied, in the best sense of that word, when you hear his playing on this CD. Paul is the King of Tastefully played Guitar! His playing and the sounds he magically summons from his instruments will take your breath away. He also mixed and mastered the CD and it is a sonic gem. If you want to record, mix and master an independent CD look here to see how it is done.

The song “You Don’t Love Me” is worth the price of the CD even if it cost twice as much as it does now! This song, should be on the Radio, on a Film Soundtrack at the top of the charts on your car and home CD players!!
Some of my other favorite tracks are:

Bring Your Love Along
‘Til I Feel Better
Pack-A-Punch- Mama
Wicked Eye Mule

If Maria Daines and Paul Killington were on a Major label, that label would be bringing in a small fortune from this CD, and would be looking forward to a King’s Ransom in the short term. However, Maria and Paul are independent musicians whose talent is rare and only need that magic “word of mouth” promotion that will spread the hot fire that they have ignited in the heart of the United Kingdom! The word has been given! Pass it on!

I first became aware of UK artist Maria Daines a few months back. I knew a new CD was on the way and I was not disappointed with the arrival of "Treebone".

Normally, I am not to big a fan of records were the artist alternates between styles too much as I feel it breaks the continuity and detracts from the listening experience. Not so with this album. This is mainly due to Maria Daines' outstanding voice control. The only other female artist I know that has this ability to do this so well is Bonnie Raitt. However Maria Daines does not sound like Raitt. This album is a perfect blend of rocking country and blues rock, electric and acoustic songs.
This album is consistently strong throughout. I do however have some personal favorites. The beautiful ballad "Bring your love along" is for sure one. The hard hitting "Tear down the walls" is another. A real smoking rocker. My absolute favorite would be "Too bad Henry". Another brilliant bluesrocker. But as already stated this is one strong album from start to finish. This album is not all Maria Daines though. Paul Killington does an amazing job playing all the instruments on the album.

This album comes highly recommended by this reviewer.

Maria Daines Rocks

It's perfectly great to see this dynamic duo from Britain being featured. Talk about diversity. From moving ballads to downright dirty ditties caressing the delta, these two cover it all, and with such professionalism. Truly, these two are examples to be followed within the independent community. The sheer volume of their quality material is enough in itself to wow listeners and artists alike. I do not doubt in the least that the blues world will change due to their efforts. Keep rocking us Paul and Maria.

26th August 2005

I wasn't wrong when I first heard you sing Maria, I thought to myself...wow...this girl can sing, and not only that, but put the feeling and emotions of the song across. You see a lot of people can sing, they have voices, but to make the lyrics believable, that's the sign of great singers and you got it girl. Paul is an amazing guitar player too, in that he's tasteful and plays to support the lead vocal and not to trip out on his own. Those two elements make this song unbelievable, sure there are great lyrics in it, but making the lyrics come across and heartfelt is where the trick lies, and you have achieved that. Your vocal range, simply awsome, your pitch dead on, the melody, classic blues, the type I can never get enough of. I mean the word is out, already there are a lot of people talking about Maria Daines...this will continue, because of songs such as this, "Holding Onto The Past", a sure ten.

-- Evan Paul
Jul 11, 2005

'A message of Hope from the Heart'

The message conveyed beyond the true sadness that Mercy endured, is the hope and knowledge that her memory is now forever in our hearts~being spread across the world, one by one through this song...to finally put an end to the silent abuse that so many have suffered.

This song brings silent tears as I listen, and feel the emotion through the beautiful vocals and strings....and although you have many beautiful songs - this one touches me on a personal level.

THANK YOU - for speaking for those who cannot.

In every word you sing, in every breath you take, in every note you all play, I am in Awe. I have never in my life been so moved, had my emotions be so uncontrolled, and felt so much in my heart, as I do when I listen to your music. I don't want to fight no more, is in itself a masterpiece, and for me a ballad of discontent. If I had my way all fighters of dogs would be made to fight in the same manner, unable to run. I bless you and all you are trying to do, and I pray that what you are trying to do becomes what is in the world and not a dream.
With all my love to you
Mark