Lauren Ray is a musician who has been on our radar for a couple of years and we interviewed her in May 2016 when she released her single ‘Drive.’ You can read that full chat here: http://bit.ly/1rE53bc

In the summer of 2018 Ray has returned with a brand new four-track EP entitled ‘Inside The Silence’ which was recorded in Germany with multi-platinum producer Mark Smith. With her debut album ‘We Will Need Courage’ gaining her a new legion of fans and some radio airplay will the new EP follow suit? Let’s press play and find out…

Opener ‘Be A Man’ is the lead single and starts with this steady beat created by keyboards, bass and drums with her lead vocal coming almost immediately with her breathy voice singing the lyrics clearly. It is quite soulful compared to her previous material and I could hear this being included on a film soundtrack for a spy thriller like James Bond for example. I suspect the radio playlists will enjoy this track and they were right to go with this for the single.

‘Dull Ache’ is interesting because lyrical it sounds like a pure pop song that would work for a female pop artist like Demi Lovato or Ariana Grande. However, the music has this stunning arrangement that would be found on a Judith Owen album as opposed to Rihanna. The song is inspired by hearing grief described as a dull ache that never goes away which is a topic that is relatable. People love songs about the human condition and that’s exactly what Carole King did and I think she’s doing pretty well for herself now…

‘Upstream’ sounds like a set piece song for a lead character in an animated Disney film as the character walks along a river alone whilst she communicates with the talkative trout all swimming upstream. A tad syrupy for me but she doesn’t try and reach difficulties notes vocally and I respect her for that.

Closer ‘Black Wings’ in Lauren’s own words is a frank look at how the music industry can feel to new and independent artists like Lauren. “This industry is tough; all artists will experience rejection, financial struggles and uncertainty but a passion for what we do and the allure of the industry keeps us going and keeps us trying, despite how insane this seems to others…hence the opening line in the song “Like a moth gone insane, I will keep chasing the flame.”

The acoustic guitar intro sets a dark mood which is perfect for the overall tone of the song. The use of backing vocals blends well with Lauren’s and it sounds like Mark (the producer) worked hard to put the lyrics at the forefront which I think was sensible.

Overall, Lauren Ray has musically matured in the past couple of years as she has combined elements of pop, soul and singer-songwriter genres to create a thoroughly enjoyable EP. The next thing now is to make sure that these songs of loss, confidence and defiance can be done justice in a live setting.

Glenn Sargeant