I’d love to say that Jacksonville native Madison Hughes, who mines the wide terrain that is Americana, first caught my ears a few years back when she covered Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” during the Season 22 “blind auditions” of The Voice, but—although Diane and I do occasionally watch the show—we skipped that season. The mundane reality is that I mistook her for Harper O’Neill, whose soulful country left me agog in 2023, and clicked play when one of her videos popped up on my YouTube home screen.
There are no horns on her rendition of “Our Love,” a Derek Trucks Band song, but there’s much grit and soul in her vocals—and, on top of that, the song features an arcing guitar solo. What’s not to love, right? I became a fan that day.
Flash forward a few years and several singles later: She released her official debut album, All That I Am, in April of this year; it’s a wonderful long player that’s destined for a Delayed Play review in the month ahead. (April and May, as my Archives show, were busy for me.) She also released a sublime live version of Neil Young’s “Old Man” on YouTube last month that’s now available to stream via the usual suspects; it finds her backed by a band (Rachel Baiman on banjo, Johnny Murray on bass, and Tom Coleman on drums) that does the Stray Gators proud. What I like most about her cover is the emotional heft that weighs on her delivery; it’s a song that spurs many of us to think of our fathers (and mothers, for that matter). As we come of age, we come to recognize them in us…and, too, their journeys in ours. She captures all of that and more.
I asked Ms. Hughes a few questions about it via an Instagram DM: Is she a Neil Young fan? Does she enjoy the album home of “Old Man,” Harvest? What other Neil albums does she like? (I also, because I’m me, recommended she give a listen to the official bootlegs Royce Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Citizen Kane Jr. Blues.)
She responded, “Yes, big Neil Young fan!! Dad used to play that record all the time. Always been a fan of the music that came out of Topanga Canyon.”
Her dad sounds like one cool dude, by the way. Her mom, too. According to Flamingo Magazine, he took guitar lessons alongside her when she was little, where they learned songs by everyone from Tom Petty to the Troggs, while her mother ran a music festival. (Fun facts: the first song Hughes played live was “Wild Thing”—at her 5th grade talent show! And Lera Lynn, who she first met at the festival, co-produced the album…and co-wrote many of the songs.) Atwood Magazine has another excellent profile/interview of her, going in-depth into the creative process behind All That I Am.
The Old Grey Cat 
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