Orange County Register
by Robert Kinsler | November 1998
Sometimes the best-sounding local efforts come in without the least bit of fanfare. Such is the case with a commercial CD from Bill Madden.
Bill Madden’s musical heroes are pretty well-known — Bob Dylan, John Lennon, John Mellencamp and Van Morrison, to name a few.
And on his commercial debut, “Chillin’ in Hades,” the Costa Mesa resident doesn’t let them down in a promising eight-song exploration of his musical roots that recalls the past though it’s directed squarely at the future.
Using the acoustic guitar as a key component to his uplifting tales of life in a flawed world, Madden sings with feeling in quiet moments on “Chillin’ In Hades,” roars in rockers such as the driving “Only Us,” and sings sweetly in the Beatles-esque “Candy Hills.”
As fate would have it, Madden is still somewhat of an unknown here in his own backyard, even though the album has made several Top 25 lists on adult album alternative and college radio stations across the country, including hitting No. 1 at KSJD in Colorado.