New single Spellbound sees Marquee Mayfield belting soaring librettos in a lofty funk effort: a sultry love song hidden under riotous synth solos, trumpet lines, and drifting key changes forming a veritable ocean of sound and feeling. On the surface: incredibly fun dance music with a twist of soul, devilishly fulsome and boldly lavish. Below the waves: a plaintive search for love lost.
It tells Mayfield’s origin story, too. He was made in a factory in Nashville, Tennessee – manufactured as a country-pop singing clone being groomed for sale to music executives within an indomitable industry. Every night, however, a young scientist named Chloe would sneak him out to teach him about music – disco, funk, and R&B. Their relationship blossomed. Suddenly, Mayfield’s proverbial number was up. Chloe freed him when she discovered he was due for purchase as a country-pop singer and erased his programming, replacing it with programming that allowed him his musical freedom.
And it’s for Chloe that Mayfield is spellbound. The song ends on a cliffhanger: will he find her again?
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