Music
27 May 02

Might on her side

Gemma Hayes's debut album collects great reviews from such tastemakers as Music Week, the Sunday Observer and (ahem) Ok Magazine's 'Hot Stars' (the last of whom reckoned, 'She's not just a pretty face - she's actually very good.' Cheers, thanks...)

It's rave reviews all round for Gemma Hayes whose Night On My Side album is shaping up to be a major summer hit.

"Young, beautiful, Irish Gemma Hayes could be tailor-made to spearhead another new wave of grassroots, singer-songwriter folk rock" reckons Observer scribe Sean O'Hagan.

The praise is equally fulsome in OK magazine's Hot Stars supplement: "More than just a pretty face, she's actually a very good singer-songwriter. A perfectly balanced blend of acoustic and electric songs, which means you won't find yourself nodding off midway through."

Trade bible Music Week also gives the album its seal of approval: "The songs – largely reflective and hushed, but with the constant threat of guitar violence – are what make the set."

Meanwhile, Ms. Hayes says her Hot Press 'Best Female Singer' Award has convinced her parents that she doesn't need a 9 to 5.

"Those things are great for your family because even when I got a publishing deal my mum was sending me secretarial job application forms 'just in case it all goes wrong!'" she reveals.