Album Review: Saya Gray, SAYA

Sonic rebel Saya Gray has released her stellar self-titled debut album SAYA, a ten-track powerhouse that came about following the end of a complicated romantic situation, whereupon Gray booked a flight to Japan and soloed on a cross-country road trip, accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

A joy to listen to through headphones, the album opens with cosmic sounds panning from the left to the right ear with ‘Thus Is Why (I Don’t Spring 4 Love)'. The track comes bursting in, heavy with bass, as Gray sings, “This is why I don’t fall in love in spring time”.

With a delicious country twang, leading single, ‘Shell (Of A Man)’, features an infectious acoustic riff, as Gray offers a bitingly luscious vocal. Having played bass with the likes of Daniel Caesar and Willow Smith, and with The Beatles as a major influence, the instrument is prominent on several tracks, such as ‘Lie Down’, and ‘Exhaust The Topic’, which boasts a thunderous rock-driven climax.

Effortlessly and impressively leaping from genre to genre, Gray delivers a solid work, exuding a natural talent for melodic composition and delicate yet powerful vocals. Instrumentally expansive, darkly haunting in places, and delightfully unpredictable, SAYA is a superb debut album.