Just like an acute sniper, Gemma Hayes has the ability to hit you with a surprise shot when you least expect it. Her ammunition of choice comes in the shape of wholesome songs that intrigue the mind’s eye and warm the senses. The good news is that her new album ‘The Roads Don’t Love You’ is fully loaded with plenty of those infectious tunes. But there was a point when the album nearly didn’t get made.
After the success of her debut album ‘Night On My Side’ (which received a nomination from the prestigious Mercury Music Prize) finally fanned down, Gemma took her time to pen some brand new songs. So long was her absence though, that questions began to arise over whether she was just another one-album wonder. But as Kate Bush proved with her latest effort ‘Aerials’, patience is key to the making of any album worth space in your collection. Writer’s bloc might have attempted to halt Hayes’ progress but someone of her undoubted talent cannot be held down forever. She developed her song writing skills by using that patience alongside a pinpoint accuracy of discovering gentle melodies. The Irish troubadour also relocated to L.A., where she set to work on her second album with producer Joey Waronker. The multifarious producer drafted in a number of excellent musicians that included Josh Klinghoffer, Cedric LeMoyne, Jeffery Coin and Zac Rae. However, it is Hayes who is the real creative spark behind it all. Her distinguished vocals and ability to perfectly capture the essence in each song elevates her to a level where she could even transform a nursery rhyme into an engaging affair.
From the new album, the bittersweet ambience of Happy Sad, the capricious elegance of Undercover and the upbeat tempo of Something In My Way reveal the depth in which she plunges musically. The songs indicate that she has matured a lot in her song writing, but it is the little snippets of insecurity in her lyrics that hold the most tenderness – ‘My friends are few but that’s ok/ ‘Cos when you’re around it all fades away’. It is that uncertainty that strangely gives the songs their captivating lure. ‘The Roads Don’t Love You’ is an album that will surely justify Hayes’ place alongside some of the best female acts around right now.
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