Mama B Releases “Puffer Fish”

Jacq Becker, aka Mama B, has high aspirations for her musical work. Her debut album Imaginology looks to marry pop music that adults and children alike will positively respond to with lyrics that younger listeners will enjoy. In the case of the first single, “Puffer Fish,” it also educates those same listeners. She describes one of the aquatic world’s most unusual members with straightforward language that makes this oddity comprehensible for children without dumbing down her content. It’s an impressive achievement in that regard alone. 

Becker’s experience in a musical household and influences like gifted vocalists Whitney Houston and Celine Dion supply sturdy grounding for how you attract listeners and hold their attention. Her musical education in both high school and college further honed those skills. We hear her talents in full flower throughout “Puffer Fish.” The single has a sense of genuine inevitability, even predictability. However, she delivers it with such aplomb that it never risks boring listeners. 

The payoffs are frequent and thoroughly satisfying. “Puffer Fish” has memorable recurring refrains that listeners of every ilk will delight in. Crafting a single with the potential to appeal to adults and children is no small feat. She deserves ample kudos for never treating the latter as if they are uncomprehending. She has an effortless skill for crafting songs that we immediately internalize their attributes, and they stick in our consciousness with the persistence of glue. Mama B’s “Puffer Fish” doesn’t approach listeners with an immense amount of ballyhoo. It comes on unassuming and ultimately makes an enormous impact without ever pretending to be something it isn’t. It’s admirable songcraft and bodes well for the remainder of Mama B’s debut. 

Mindy McCall