Lauren Ray - Man

It's been amazing watching Lauren grow as an artist and to see that she's got an album about to be released on July 1st is just incredible. I first wrote about her 4 years ago and her voice has only gotten stronger and stronger as time has gone by. She's so grounded and earthy in her vocal presentation that makes me think of Fiona Apple or Shawn Colvin with a hint of Karen Carpenter. The earnestness in her vocals just make her so approachable in what she's saying. It's really quite enjoyable to just hear her and a piano with minimal production and she doesn't need much more than that to capitalize on her strengths. She's one of the voices that could sing the telephone directory and you'd be mesmerized with each name.  So go preorder, 'We Will Need Courage' and get ready for it's release. I want to see amazing things for this woman.

Lauren Ray - Don't Feel Love

It seems Lauren's trip to Nashville last year yielded serious results.  In one of her first public posts since that trip, it's clear to hear how Music City USA rubbed off on her.  Her vocals harken to the golden age of country referencing Tammy and Loretta and some of the modern masters as well; Faith and Martina.  This woman's voice is like velvet and can take on so many characteristics from all of the influences around her.  This song is antithesis of a love song; it's a self empowerment song that so many of us can take a lesson from.  You don't have to be attached to someone in order to be powerful.  You don't have to rely on someone to achieve your goals and dreams.  Draw on your inner strength and you can achieve all you need to.

Lauren Ray - Question EP

Blue Eyed Boy
This song is just super cool.  It's easy breezy and refreshing.  It's a great way to start off the EP.  You can't help but to bob your head along with her.  I love how it is just the perfect tempo and how never once does Lauren have difficulty keeping time with the track.  She never loses her place and this is a brilliant show of how her musicality is so much more developed than a new artist.

Question
The title track of the EP is next up and it's a brilliant piano ballad that could easily stand up beside anything by Colbie Caillat or Sara Bareilles.  I think this track shows a considerable amount of vulnerability to her voice and along with the strings on the track, it's easily a beautiful ballad.

Bang Bang
The upbeat jazzy piano against the macabre lyrics of this track come together in an unsettling cacophony of brilliance.  It's a bit unsettled and it's a bit broken which makes it one of the most honest "Done me wrong" songs I've heard in quite a while.  I love how the song progresses through the story and how the song ends.  It is quite unstable and for that, we thank you.

Two Bare Feet
This song is incredible.  It's a song about loving someone so much that you have to let them go because it's doing neither of you any good and sometimes you just have to do what's right for the both of you.  It hurts and you wish that it could be easy but it's not. (Or at least that's what I hear).

The EP is a mixed bag of emotions, just like life and it all plays out without being over the top (even though it could easily), Lauren is able to bring you to the edge of emotion and let you sit there for a while and she does it without ever breaking a sweat.  Her voice is just so malleable and it doesn't matter what genre is thrown at her, she takes it on with such carefree abandon that you know she's been singing that way her whole life.  She has an incredibly bright future ahead of her.  Get on the bandwagon now because it's going to be an amazing ride.

Lauren Ray - I'd Lie

Lauren Ray has gone country! This girl can do anything at all. Her voice is so strong and sultry malleable quality to it. She has seamlessly and flawlessly transitioned from darkwave to country and she sells it without any issue. You'd think she'd been singing this genre for years but from what I understand, this is her very first foray into country. I think that makes this song so much more incredible because this is such a new experience and you would never know otherwise. The production is brilliant thanks to Stormby's deft hands behind the boards. You really need to get on board with this girl so that when she is a mega star, you can say you knew her when. If she continues in country, there is no way that she couldn't easily stand up beside Miranda, Carrie or Taylor because she's that good.

Lauren Ray - You Just Don't Know

What we have here is the emergence of a new artist and you are on the verge of her rise. Trust me, the combination of Lauren Ray and Stormby are going to take the music scene by storm (No pun intended). Her voice is so strong and has such a depth of character that keeps Stormby on his toes. She absolutely kills this track. When the chorus breaks in, I was like...whoa, settle down there. She increases the power in her voice and just entices you that much more. There is a smoky-ness to her voice that adds a level of maturity that I think makes her capable of sharing the stage with Cheryl or Alexandra Burke. I know that she is just coming up in the clubs but if she keeps putting out tracks like this, I think she has a great future in store. It's also another notch in Stormby's ever growing belt of successes. I think the production on this song allows Lauren to shine and doesn't hamper her in the least. There are some producers that have a habit of wanting more of the limelight than the artists singing on their tracks and I think that is more detrimental to the song than a bad mix. If this cut of the song is this good, I can't wait to see if he releases any dance mixes of it. I am ever becoming a bigger and bigger fan of his work because he knows what he's doing.

Lauren Ray - Say Goodbye

If the sum is greater than the parts, what happens when the parts are just stellar.  Lauren Ray is a new artist from the UK and she is currently working with some of the most creative producers in the business right now.  In a stunning new genre being called folktronica ("A bit melancholic with electronic influences" - says producer Stormby), Lauren has a command over the elements like someone that's been singing for years.  "Say Goodbye" is atmospheric, melodic and a bit noir.  It's got a darkness to it spun together with an ambient chill that just wraps around you and holds you as the song unfolds.  Lauren's voice is the perfect compliment to the melody and the beats and I don't think this song would do nearly what it has the power of doing with someone else's vocals.  She has a very strong command of her instrument that is paired equally with Stormby's track.  Without the slow melodic course he lays down, this track would have no direction.  It would simply spin out of control.

In the world of producers, he has quickly become someone that I look for to make incredible music and I have yet to hear a misstep from him.  He has an understanding of how things need to fit together musically and it is clear he can see what's coming because he has a manner of changing and shifting whenever he needs to.  I have more that I am going to be posting about him in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.

So yes, the sum may be greater than the parts, but these parts live in such harmony with each other there couldn't be one without the other.