The Hollow of Morning

Having been ushered towards the sparkly pop princess world by her former record company on her last album, this is a welcome return to creative freedom for Gemma Hayes. I enjoyed The Roads Don't Love You, the songs were catchy but they lost impact after a while compared to Night On My Side's beautifully soaring and crashing soundscapes. The Hollow Of Morning is a return to this style, packed more with emotion and vulnerability than catchy melodies. The songs consequently grow on you and last longer, as you notice different elements with each listen. To me it sounds like Gemma is playing for herself on this album and it is much improved for it. Whilst the album is short and there are no standout singles in my mind, there is a consistent quality of songwriting across the board. This is a record that I will be listening to for a long time.

I have looked forward to this album for what feels like eons. I bought Gemma's first album after reading a review in the Sunday Times (I think!) whilst on holiday in Scotland. By the time I went home I was hooked. Similarly "The Roads Don't Love You" was instantly memorable. Different to "Night On My Side" but still superb.

When I first got "The Hollow Of Morning" I admit to being disappointed. It was over in a flash and didn't seem to have much body to it. After repeated listenings I have come to love it. It's totally unique amongst any other album I own. Beautiful lyrics combine with breathtaking vocals amongst fine musicianship. Gemma must have gone through a harrowing time to come up with these songs. I can think of no other set of songs that sound so personal, yet could apply to most of us at some time during our lives.

I look forward to her next acoustic album - due at the end of 2008 I believe. If it's halfway as good as this I can't wait.

Gemma Hayes returned with her third album, a much more stripped down and acoustic affair than her previous album. This has more in common with her debut, although it lacks the energetic punch of the singles. It is in fact difficult to choose any of the songs here as singles as she has mostly removed the big choruses and easy melodies. Instead we have the same honest, introspective, questioning lyrics but with more softer and mellow sounds, less memorable tunes, but a darker tone throughout. The album is fairly short and could have benefited from on or two faster, more commercial tunes, but Gemma has always done things her own way and we still have ten songs which will challenge and captivate.

`This Is What You Do' opens the album with familiar lazy guitars, and laid back vocals. Gemma does her whispery thing here to good effect while singing about the effects love can have on her. The song shifts about halfway through and picks up speed while keeping the same quiet strains and this eventually builds to a peak with Gemma repeating `Smile' over and over- to herself? There are some background whispered words if you can catch them, and some OK Computer style bleeps, but overall this is a strong start.

`Out Of Our Hands' is close to the big single as you'll get on the album, with wonderful melodies and a chorus to sing along to at the top of your lungs. Another love song covering the difficulties which arise given the typical heart on sleeve lyrical treatment and featuring some of the album's only punchy guitar chords.

`Jan 14th' is clearly a deeply personal song- a stumbling guitar progression over Gemma's lonely but warm vocals as she recites a letter. It is extremely brittle, and the chorus/ending is a slight lift from the verse- it's a nice idea but very short and perhaps lacks a strong enough melody to make it stand out.

`Home' is my favourite track here, fading in with more OK Computer style sounds. The song sounds quite experimental (within the genre) but there isn't anything out of the ordinary. The lyrics continue the `back of the crowd' relationship, a devoted love song with big drums which drive the song towards the ecstatic chorus. The string thing about the chorus is that it is a pretty flat vocal melody, but for some reason it works so well with all the background sound and distortion. When she adds a few twists in the tune for the last chorus everything comes together and makes sense.

`In Over My Head' begins with the mournful drone of church/chapel bells before the hypnotic guitar and vocals chime in. This is probably the darkest sounding song we've heard from Gemma so far, although the lyrics are split between optimism and depression. The crashing chorus and conclusion work well but I just wish it was longer.

`Chasing Dragons' is similar to Jan 14th, a soft song stripped down to Gemma's voice and accompanying guitar. Even the guitar is pushed to the background with her dual vocals at the forefront for most. This is another gentle, pleasant song with lyrical depth which we should be familiar with by now, but again this one is marginally let down by not having a great melody to remember.

`Don't Forget' immediately lifts things again with an opening few notes which has the potential of lingering in our heads. Gemma uses the distorted effect on her voice like she has in the past and while this one has a brighter chorus it seems to be missing something which would turn into one of best. It sounds quite easy, almost as if it was a simple song to tack on to the album, although the lyrics are among her heart warming best.

`Sad Ol Song' has the yearning vocals we have come to know and love as well as the relaxed melodies and guitars which she is so good at making. Lyrically strong, and musically beautiful it can sometimes be forgotten when listening to the album as a whole because it is similar in style, tone, and pace to many others here, but as a stand alone it is excellent.

`At Constant Speed' is the longest song on the album, with a long introduction featuring Gemma's voice over some barely existent background sound. Once the drums and piano kick in the song picks up, giving a more urgent tone than the fragile hopefulness of the first part. On a personal note I think the song could have been better if this growth continued with her guitars building towards the end, instead we get some intertwining keyboard sounds, but this is still very good.

`Under A Canopy' closes the album too quickly, just as I was expecting a couple more songs, but at least it ends on a relative and rather strange high. It is very rare to end with an instrumental piece, and must show great confidence as most records close with a big hitter. It is one of her best instrumental pieces, but as with most of them I wish it was just an introduction to another song. Guitars and flutes meld together well to form a variety of thoughts and images, and it leaves us wanting more.

The main problems here are that many of the good songs are kept hidden by the fact that they are quite similar in pace etc to the ones which are not so strong, as well as the fact that there aren't as many catchy songs as we have come to expect. Maybe this is exactly the kind of album she wanted to make and I should be ridiculed for expecting something else. The album is definitely a grower in comparison to her first two, largely because those ones had the big songs which would stay in our heads and draw us back. It may take a few listens for this one to stay in your head, or possibly you will prefer the even more laid back nature of this. We can hear that she is still suffering the same traumas we all do, but has not suffered in her ability to express them- it is my least favourite of her albums so far, but it's still Gemma Hayes so you know it's going to be good.