Review by Paul Sabin for MPM
Bristol born Blues and Americana singer-songwriter, Elles Bailey is back with her new album which has been put together over a three-year period drawing from a catalogue of songs written up to ten years previously.
Bailey exposes her raw, soulful roots and gives us a glimpse of how she has grown as an artist. Talking of which, her mantlepiece must be straining having gained many awards in recent years! What is also quite amazing about Bailey is how she tours prolifically (including a support slot for Rag’n’Bone Man last year) yet still manages to, write, release outstanding quality music and remain grounded and appreciative of every one of her fans.
This eleven-track album kicks off with the title track which has an older feel to it. This slower gentle song, replete with brass sections and moody organ parts as well as the honey coated husky tones of the lady herself, shows just how she is able to capture the listener with her emotive vocal. `Growing Roots’ is a much groovier and funky affair. Tasty guitar parts, stabbing keyboards and an infectious vocal are sure to get under your skin and get feet tapping.
The electric piano driven, `Better days’ has it all – bouncing bass lines, jangly guitars that gain some distortion at the chorus, lush backing vocals and more of a rock n roll nature to it as Bailey’s powerful voice ebbs and flows throughout. Truly sublime! We slow down with `Blessed’ as Bailey pours out emotion from every pore here. The song itself is stripped to the basics and lets everything breathe. The subtle violin adds to the mood. Less really is more here.
`Constant Need To Keep Going’ has a modern rhythm to it as the bass drum lays down a heartbeat and slide guitars wail gently. Bailey’s songwriting is centre stage here on this lyrically brilliant track where the power is in the words rather than the vocal itself. `Take A Step Back’ sees a sassy Bailey delivering an upbeat track with Sixties overtones which works so well.
`How Do You Do It’ is a quirky track which blends slide guitar with, honky-tonk piano and conjures up images of a smoky western bar filled with cowboys in the Midwest! `Angel’ raises the stakes as the tempo increases and Bailey’s gravelly voice smoulders. This song brings elements of Blues, Soul, and Seventies Disco together and by God it works so well as soaring vocals and trumpets sit side by side.
Returning to a minimalist style setup, `Dandelions’ lets Baileys voice dominate as her ability to write a brilliant song is brought to the fore. This is a beautiful track that sees Bailey pour her heart out. `Tightrope’ continues to illustrate how Bailey is able to effortlessly blend melodies with words that hit home and carry more power than the music itself.
Album closer `Starling’ is intimate, gentle, and heartfelt and brings the story so far to a close.
The material found on this album charts Bailey’s musical journey, which is sometimes emotional, often sassy, occasionally moody but always coming straight from the heart. The talent that oozes from every pore of Elles Bailey has until recently seemed like a closely guarded secret that those who knew of it appreciated and adored whilst the rest of the world missed out. Her musical prowess is up there with the best of them, and she truly deserves to `make it’. One thing you can be sure of is she will always remain grounded and will remember her roots and her fans.
Can’t Take My Story Away Tracklisting:
- Can’t Take My Story Away
- Growing Roots
- Better Days
- Blessed
- Constant Need To Keep Going
- Take a Step Back
- How Do You Do It
- Angel
- Dandelion
- Tightrope
- Starling
Take A Step Back Is OUT NOW on all digital platforms http://ellesb.lnk.to/TASB
