Hot on the heels of a pair of excellent "Under The Influence"s comes Alyssa Flaherty's latest single "Little Ugly". If the earlier single was a slick sounding verse welded to an explosive chorus, "Little Ugly" is definitely more rootsy country with sassy honest lyrics preaching a message we can't recall hearing in a song before - that sometimes you don't feel yourself and as much as you try to cover it up with clothes and make-up you still just don't feel right.
A suitable mix of guitars and percussion provide the intro, gradually fading away to allow Alyssa to take centre stage
"Mama said to pick the right shade of pink
Pull yourself together, do the ladylike thing
Some times, I don't feel like trying
But I'm waking up and putting on a painted doll face
And showing up to work like it ain't a bad day
That's right"
The pre chorus only enforces the view that not all things can be just covered up. It ratchets up the intensity and volume.
"Girl sometimes you can't cover up
What's underneath that pretty peach blush"
Leading to the explosion of a chorus
Might be a little ugly you better run when you see this hot mess
Y'all trust me, I'm a packaged up, pretty train wreck
Concealer ain't doing much for me, cos baby underneath
I feel a little ugly"
If the first verse was motherly wisdom, then the second verse provides the paternal advice Alyssa received
"Daddy always says "Don't take no crap!"
Be the finest dress hanging on that rack
Okay, but today
I'm feeling like a ragged old used t-shirt
Hangin' by a thread, Man, I couldn't feel worse, but hey!
I still gotta get paid"
The bridge has the repeated mantra
Three inch heels, got looks to kill, but still I'm a dressed up lie
U G L Y I don't feel myself and that's alright"
It all goes to make a pretty successful second statement in Alyssa's solo career so far displaying a variety in delivery styles but most importantly maintaining along with her co writers that inventive lyrical originality that makes her stand out just that little bit more than many of her peers.