Lauren Ray - We Will Need Courage

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 29 / 7 / 2016

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When names such as Norah Jones, Sarah McLachlan and Alison Krauss are bandied about when describing a newcomer to the singer-songwriter scene, you can’t help but feel for the artist in question. Setting the bar so high by having such talent fresh in mind while hearing an artist for the first time can only lead to disappointment. On first listen ‘We Will Need Courage’, as expected, wasn’t quite up to the standard we expect from those artists. But start with an open mind. Let’s take London-based Lauren Ray for what she is; a young female singer-whose debut album of ten original songs (half co-writes) was produced in Nashville by Neilson Hubbard and disregard any comparisons for now. Opening track ‘Drive’ is a radio-friendly piano-based ballad perfectly suited to long summer days, violin and cello placed perfectly adding some nice texture to the song. Lauren’s vocals are breathy while showing some passion in her voice. There’s something of a restrained emotion there which is quite appealing. It’s a pretty pop song, given that it’s been chosen as the lead-off single from the album thereby indicating that it’s likely to be one of the strongest on the album. There’s a niggling doubt, however, that the following nine songs might not even reach the clipped heights of that opening shot. The following song, ‘Come to Me’, is again a piano ballad. Once more it’s a pretty enough tune but the lyrics are what strike the listener first. It’s another driving song of sorts, reaching out to a friend in need. The first verse immediately catches the attention - “How about getting off the bathroom floor?/How about saying I’m not taking this anymore?/How about getting off the medication (you thought I didn’t know)?” The inflection in her vocals on that last line is what wins you over. It’s at this point when you start to think that Lauren is laying herself bare in this song and that maybe although you are still waiting for a song to jump out and grab you there’s definitely something there worth your time. In a time when the radios are play listing songs which just wash over you and add to the background noise, an era when it seems there are many talented singers who can turn out perfectly acceptable (and sometimes stunning) covers of contemporary songs and get thousands of hits within days on the internet, just being merely good or above average doesn’t cut it anymore. Two songs into ‘We Will Need Courage’, and there’s a sinking feeling that Lauren Ray, while certainly knowing how to write a good, solid pop song, and showing flashes of brilliance is going to have trouble getting her voice heard in an overcrowded market. Luckily with ‘Unexpected Man’, the third song on her debut, Lauren seems to have found her groove. The melody is not just more appealing but it’s instantly impressive, the little production touches, the subtle lead guitar weaving in and out and the more determined edge to Lauren’s vocals all contribute to a song that while not exactly earth-stopping is the closest track so far on the album to indicate that Lauren Ray might just have something different to offer. ‘Paying for Love’ is again lyrically astute, and so far the most adventurous song on the album; with a more soulful vibe, especially in the backing vocals and production, suddenly the album takes an unexpected turn and you’re left wondering why this song wasn’t the lead song on the album. Initial reactions would have been quite different if ‘Paying for Love’ had been the first introduction many have to the music of Lauren Ray. That Lauren then follows up with ‘One of the Lucky Ones’, an upbeat country-flavoured cut, confirms that a little more thought given to the running order of this album would have worked wonders. Again lyrically strong, the song bounces along and is the kind of summery pop that we want to hear on the radio. It’s irresistible and will bring light into the darkest of days. When Lauren reverts back to a piano ballad for ‘Stay’, there’s none of the doubt that was present on those opening couple of songs. While the track is cut from the same cloth her vocals have more power while still sounding slightly vulnerable (which just adds to the appeal) and the tune is more attractive than those which grace the opening songs. The production also brings out the best in the song. ‘Man’ again shows that Lauren can tackle sensitive subjects eloquently and is another of the more soul-influenced tracks on the album. There’s even a jazzy vibe to ‘Get On Board’ something that has not been explored up to this point which again makes one wonder why a track as strong as this is tucked away towards the end of the album. If only ‘We Will Need Courage’ had started with a song as sassy as this, then initial thoughts would have been totally different. Lauren Ray is far from turning out run of the mill pop songs that much is obvious; it’s just that you have to sit through a few songs before that becomes apparent. That ‘What Would You Do’, a beautiful ballad that highlights what a sensitive lyricist and vocalist Lauren, is the penultimate track on the album and hasn’t been pulled as a single yet is almost a crime. Another indication that Lauren is bucking the trend of placing the best songs at the beginning of an album is shown by closing with ‘Pull the Trigger’. It’s an absolute beauty of a song, almost fragile in delivery but one of those songs that it’s impossible to ignore; it stops you in your tracks and demands your attention. The flowing melody, Lauren’s gentle vocals, the way the song builds, it’s a perfect, meaningful pop song and leaves the listener wanting more of the same. Repeated plays reveal that the opening couple of songs still fail to match the diversity and beauty of what follows and, although they are solid pop songs, there is, still after a number of plays, confusion as to why they have been singled out for special attention and why they open the album when there are songs here that are obviously more representative of the talent Lauren Ray so obviously has. We can only hope that potential buyers listen long enough to get past the songs that show Lauren Ray as an average singer-songwriter and to the second half of the album that proves she’s a name to watch out for and way above average.

Track Listing:-

1 Drive
2 Come to Me
3 Unexpected Man
4 Paying For Love
5 One of the Lucky Ones
6 Stay
7 Man
8 Get On Board
9 What Would You Do?
10 Pull the Trigger

Band Links:-

http://www.laurenraymusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/laurenraymusic
https://twitter.com/laurenraymusic
https://www.instagram.com/laurenraymusic/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHz9n8Dugv_W_N4UrapxD9g

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