Photo by Bekah Cope
A recent high school graduate travels up the road from Macon, Georgia to our beloved Nashville to attend Belmont University with songwriting aspirations. This is a fairly common tale in Music City. You’ve probably heard it before, interchanging cities and towns of origin. In this version, the protagonist is played by Mackenzie Scott whose given name is less recurrent than this common storyline. Lately though, you probably have heard some heavy buzz surrounding Scott’s musical monicker, Torres.
Since releasing her self-titled debut in late January of this year, Torres (which is Scott’s grandfather’s last name) has seen her pseudonym take shape in the public eye with warm reception. The 22-year-old wrote and recorded her debut while enrolled at Belmont, pulling double duty as college student and recording artist; neither effort suffered as a result of the other. Scott graduated from Belmont, and Torres put out a gripping record filled with 10 songs showcasing maturity and depth not often found among debut releases.
With a background in writing (poetry and short stories), Scott taught herself to play the guitar at the age of 16. She began performing in Nashville in 2009 in acoustic settings (read: Americana, folk, coffeehouse, granola). Unlike many songwriters in Nashville, she broke out of the writers rounds and developed a sound she describes as having the "teeth" she couldn’t achieve in the acoustic format. The dynamics and production of Torres are notable in that they display a specific mood and atmosphere without acting as bells and whistles. Torres’ vocal performance is emotive without feeling forced. She pulls listeners along her journey instead of pushing listeners into emotional submission. If you’re pressed for time, give a listen to "Chains" and "Jealousy and I." When you get some more time, have a go at the whole record.
Torres is representing Nashville and supporting her record with a run of performances at SXSW. She’ll be playing The Deli‘s Hangover Hideout on March 13th at 4 pm. –Jonathan Parrish