MacKenzie Porter - Nobody's Born With A Broken Heart

Mackenzie Porter, one of Canada’s brightest exports, offers a deep dive into the many dimensions of heartbreak across her Big Loud debut Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart. An already established multihyphenate, Porter’s determined talent drives the 19 track collection, even when the scale of the production distracts from her point of view.

Porter displays her chameleon-like vocal abilities across an array of modern country selections. The brassy opener ‘Easy to Miss’ is thumping crossover pop, while ‘Young at Heart’ engages with more Americana sensibilities. Where ‘Bet You Break My Heart’ leans into a slight EDM edge, ‘Rough Ride for a Cowboy’ finds her lassoing around a spaghetti western narrative. They all demonstrate that Porter can sing and deliver just about anything that is asked of her, but that she doesn't necessarily have to stretch herself to fit into every possible pool.

In fact, she thrives when the bells and whistles are silenced. ‘Coming Home to You’ is a superbly stripped back take, one that allows Porter’s natural storytelling delivery to shine. It’s an authentic performance that highlights her skill in making every syllable vibrate with emotion. That sentiment is even more present on the heartstring plucker ‘Sucker Punch’, where line by line her rasping voice finds power in the pain, recalling some of Carrie Underwood’s most beloved early work.

Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart serves as an effective vehicle to introduce Porter to a broader audience. Yet it pushes too hard in highlighting every corner of her multifaceted abilities over the course of one collection. With talent this natural and a heart so vulnerable, Porter needs far less to let her rising star shine.

6.5 / 10

MacKenzie Porter's 2024 album, Nobody's Born With A Broken Heart, is out April 26 via Big Loud Records.

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