2020 was supposed to be Maggie Rose’s year — not unlike it was supposed to be for a lot of artists. The previous spring, the Maryland-born, Nashville-residing songsmith gathered with an impressive roster of guest musicians at soul mecca FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., to record her third full-length album. She hoped the record would further the work she did on 2018’s Change the Whole Thing, establishing her as a genre-busting songwriter, a shapeshifting butterfly fully emerged from the country-music cocoon she spun up early in her career with 2013’s Cut to Impress.
Joining Rose at FAME were players from Muscle Shoals’ legendary rhythm section The Swampers — guitarist Will McFarlane, who’s also known for playing with Bonnie Raitt in the 1970s, and legendary bassist David Hood. On drums was Sarah Tomek, who’s been with Rose for years and has also performed with Them Vibes and Steven Tyler. Kelly Clarkson’s horn section Them Horns made an appearance too. On keys was Lloyd Buchanan, who’s played with Alabama Shakes, and producing was Ben Tanner, a co-founder of the Shakes, who’s also produced St. Paul and the Broken Bones and John Paul White; Tanner and White launched Single Lock Records as well.
In all, nearly 20 players joined in, all fortified by different musical backgrounds and experiences. The result was Have a Seat, a record that feels both timely and timeless. The 11 tracks hop along the musical spectrum, winking and nodding at some of the best soul, R&B, funk and rock songwriters in the rich history of those genres, while lyrically contributing to the conversations we’re having now as a country. Have a Seat was all set to be released in 2020, ahead of an 80-date tour. And then, for reasons that everyone is tired of thinking about, none of that happened.
More than a year later, Rose looks back on the unavoidable delay with gratitude. It was heartbreaking, of course — “The ambiguity of everything just became so overwhelming,” she says — but she uncovered opportunity in the quiet year.
“The issues that made us write a lot of these songs were getting worse,” Rose says from her home in Nashville, while on a quick 72-hour break from the rescheduled tour. “I think communication was becoming more and more polarized, so even if I did put [Have a Seat] out during the pandemic without touring, I felt like I’d be maybe poking the bear or agitating the audience a little. But I think I’m much wiser, I’m more compassionate. I think I have more empathy after this year because I got to listen.”
Listening and making room for others is at the root of Have a Seat, but Rose is aware the expression has more than one meaning. On one hand, “have a seat” can be an invitation. Read it in a different tone, however, and “have a seat” becomes a command that someone sit down and shut up. So which is it?
“I think it depends on who it’s being said to,” Rose says with a laugh. “It’s to the industry. Like, ‘You should pay attention to this now. I paid my dues, I found who I am. I’ve done all the work that I’ve done with authenticity, and I love doing it.’ But then much more important with this music is the invitation to be a part of it — you’re welcome to be a part of this. If you are someone who’s contributing wonderful things to the world, there should be room made for you.”
Song after song, Have a Seat benefits from Rose’s collaborative nature. Opening track “What Are We Fighting For,” co-written with Larry “Brother Love” Florman and Alex Haddad of Them Vibes, is like the album title in that it’s an exercise in duality. It starts as a soothing, soulful organ-laced number, with Rose questioning the need for arguing with someone she clearly cares about. In the last minute of the song, the music builds and Rose’s patience wears thin. Like a roller coaster taking its final plunge after cresting the highest point of the track, the song spirals into an all-out gospel jam session with tambourine, wailing guitar and a choir of backing vocals from Shanay Johnson and Karita Law. At the center of it all is Rose, demanding answers — demanding to know what you’re willing to fight for.
“I’m certainly not one with all the answers,” says Rose. “That was why we decided to start the record with a conversation. Even though sonically it’s this huge song right at the top of a record, that’s like setting the table to me — it slowly builds. The whole idea of that proverbial table really begins with that song.”
On the following track “Do It,” Rose shuts down the noise and takes ownership of her life. Over a funky party beat peppered with blasts of big-band horns, she sings: “Why should I be a people pleaser / Fall into line / That would be such a crime.” On “What Makes You Tick,” an upbeat blues-tinged number featuring stellar guitarist Marcus King, Rose implores the listener to look inside themselves. On its surface, “What Makes You Tick” is a catchy tune about unplugging and appreciating what surrounds you. Sitting among the other tracks on Have a Seat, though, it’s also a challenge to check yourself, to form your own opinions — even if it’s difficult because of others’ expectations or the demands of your daily routine.
Without a doubt, that’s relevant today; people argue loudly against requiring masks in public schools while hospitals report that capacity for seriously ill COVID patients — who in most cases are unvaccinated — has dwindled almost to nothing. It was relevant in 2019, too, but Rose says she wasn’t frustrated about sitting on songs she knew many people in the world could relate to.
“I was excited to wait for my turn,” she says. “I think it was important to not take up any space in the conversation, especially with the BLM movement. I wanted to listen for a while.”
As part of her purposeful listening, Rose used the break from touring to launch her podcast Salute the Songbird, which is now in its second season. On the show, Rose talks to other women in the music industry about their triumphs, struggles and day-to-day inspiration — guests have included Grammy-nominated country singer Mickey Guyton, journalist Kelly McCartney and Fitz and the Tantrums singer Noelle Scaggs. Those heart-to-hearts inspired Rose to take a second look at Have a Seat and really ensure her message was clear.
“[Salute the Songbird] brought so many amazing artists and women into my life,” she says. “I was listening to their stories and how hard they’re working, and just felt super connected to my artistic community. That made me rearrange the track listing to an entirely different sequencing for the record. With all the events [of 2020], we had to really step back and think about how we wanted to unfold the story. I love it now.
“These songs have evolved so much from the day I wrote them. I don’t ever want to have to repeat 2020, but it’s been a bit of a gift to have this opportunity to be like, ‘OK, this is the record that’s for right now. We still want to put this out, right?’ Absolutely. It’s probably more relevant to me now than it ever was the day I wrote all the songs. It’s seasoned them in a really great way.”
