Recommended If You Like: Tennis, ADLT VDEO
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It doesn’t take much to fall in love with Mattiel Brown’s music: Catchy, spirited and full of a vivid, bright spark of life, Mattiel’s “Count Your Blessings” is an engaging fire that glows with passion, character and resolve.
You shoes keep turning different shades of blue
The colors of the other fools before you
And skin keeps turning different shades of red
The colors of the other voice
that’s swimming in your head
Watch: “Count Your Blessings” – Mattiel
https://youtu.be/egeH3SrSMvE
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the music video for Mattiel’s song “Count Your Blessings,” off her recently-released debut album Mattiel (released September 22, 2017 via Burger Records). Born the only child in a rural Georgian household, Mattiel Brown spent her younger years immersed in the colorful music of the 1960s. Though it’s been many years since she moved to Atlanta and expanded her pallette, there’s something about first loves that never quite dies: In Mattiel’s case, that shines through in the warmth and expressive tone of her own art.
An ad designer and illustrator, Mattiel’s journey into songwriting began in 2014 – and what an adventure it has been: “Count Your Blessings” is the second single off Mattiel’s incredible self-titled debut, a daring escapade through vibrant metaphors and punctured warnings that remind us to keep alert, remember our roots, and always look forward.
make yourself at home again
count your blessings, one to ten
your body will be whole again
Your body will be whole again
make yourself at home again
count your blessings, one to ten
“‘Count Your Blessings’ is open to interpretation, but when I wrote it, I was neck deep in a physical and mental battle with a skin disorder,” Mattiel explains. “It was not glamourous – I was covered in rashes (for two years) from an adverse reaction to a medication. I am now free from the suffering, but it took a lot of time and patience to get through that period of my life. The video contains a lot of humor and I guess in a way, it’s like “life will throw a million unexpected things at you. It will tar and feather you, make a fool out of you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” So by the end, I’ve just accepted what’s been thrown at me and I’ve given up trying to fight it.” Life is what it is; you’re not going to avoid its ridiculousness, and you can never expect the unexpected (what a silly phrase). The best you can do is to live each day to the fullest, embrace those who matter most, and cherish every moment.
Your hands keep turning lighter shades of white
The color of the temperature that’s dropping every night
And your pair of shoes are turning back to black
The color of the inner voice that’s slowly coming back
There’s certainly a comical element to the “Count Your Blessings” video, but it’s equally beautiful. The colors pop out at us as Mattiel’s all-white tennis outfit is doused with color. Says Mattiel: “Jason Travis and I had very little time to plan for this video, so we were forced to pull our ideas together rather quickly – which is a way I love to work. Sometimes that pressure can have great results. We both knew we wanted to film action shots in slow motion (“Count Your Blessings” is a slower song) so Jason rented the right camera gear and I bought white clothes, jumpsuits for my band members, a giant 12 foot seamless, a tennis racquet, and a plethora of other props / materials. He just happened to be visiting Georgia for a week, so we were able to shoot the video at one of our favorite places, Paris on Ponce. Our friend Skip was nice enough to let us borrow a giant white room and get really messy in it. I also broke a chandelier with a tennis ball. Sorry, Skip. My bandmates, Jonah Swilley and Randy Michael, make a few brief appearances in which they assist me / hurl objects at me. I think they had a lot of fun with that. After a full 12 hours of shooting, we were exhausted and I was extremely sticky and disgusting. But it was totally worth it!”
“Count Your Blessings” implores us to make the most of what we’ve got. It’s a simple saying, but it’s remarkable just how deep the sentiment goes – and how important it truly is. Only when we are faced with our own mortality – reminded of our temporal nature – do we truly begin to appreciate what we’ve got; but it’s not worth starting at the end, so count your blessings, and make it worthwhile.
Because you never know what tomorrow may bring.
Written over the span of nine months, Mattiel is the dazzling musical baby you’ll want to play all year long. Enjoy “Count Your Blessings,” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and don’t miss more from this stellar new artist!
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photo © Jason Travis
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https://youtu.be/egeH3SrSMvE
