Often these days music is both overproduced and even worse, over thought. I mean hey, I live in a hipster city about an hour outside of hipster Seattle, so I am all for the abstract and artsy, but sometimes you just need something simple. Clear vocals, sharp lyrics and clean execution.
London’s Lauren Ray delivers just that with her EP, Paying For Love (and don’t think too much about that title). Ray‘s voice is unique in the sense that when it comes to female artists, you often get one end of the spectrum or the other. Either the artist’s voice is girly and youthful or it’s gravelly and coarse. Lauren Ray on the other hand has a very soothing, mature voice that features some very lovely breaks while remaining smooth at the same time.
Paying For Love features three originals, “Come To Me”, “Paying For Love” and “What Would You Do?”, all of which are laid back piano heavy tracks with a slightly jazzy vibe. The album concludes with a nicely executed and enjoyable cover of David Gray‘s “Babylon”.
I get the feeling Lauren Ray could do even more with her voice. Like I said, I quite enjoy both the clarity and the breaks she has in it. I am also sure that she could go for a more pop vibe and be very successful with it. However, with that said, the laid back sound that Ray delivers does seem to fit her like a glove and it feels just right. Perhaps this is exactly where she needs to be.
Pick up Paying For Love by Lauren Ray on iTunes now!
