Search - Gemma Hayes :: Night on My Side

Played It Til the Needle on My CD Player Fell Off

Tony Wyman | Salem, Oregon USA | 06/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, I admit that I fell for Gemma's sad eyes and her intellegent, fragile face, but that doesn't mean I still can't be objective, does it? This CD, her debut, is simply brilliant. Although I've played it almost continuously, only pausing to throw in a little Black Keys and Patricia Barber now and then, I still can't decide which song I like the best. "Tear N My Side," "I Let a Good Thing Go," are both woderful examples of unique and creative rock that reaches out and insinuates itself into your subconscious. While her music is emotive and full of saddness and passion, Gemma wraps her songs in powerful melodies that happily stay nestled in your head long after the disc stops spinning.The only bad thing about this release is it leaves you wanting more. A lot more."

Unpredictable, in the good way

Robert Graves | Thompson Station, TN USA | 01/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this record up by complete chance recently. I was buying a Grandaddy CD in Borders and Gemma Hayes was near it. It looked interesting so I scanned it in the listening station and ended up buying it.My first impression was to compare it to Shawn Colvin, but with more edge. The album seems to have two distinct halves, the first, heavier half, and the second, more acoustic half. The songs themselves aren't very commercial, and it's somewhat refreshing to just hear intimate songs performed the way the artist intended them to sound, not glossed over with the slick radio treatment that permeate similar offerings.These songs are unpredictable in the way bringing that off-color friend you have to a formal party might be - you never quite know what's going to happen next. You'll find yourself listening to a nice, acoustic guitar/vocal piece, and then suddenly you'll hear a dissonant cello creep in a half-step higher than the tonic, and then disappear as though it never happened. Very interesting stuff."Hanging Around" is a definite highlight, offering the most radio-friendly song and production on the CD. I'm partial to the latter half of the record where the alternate tuning acoustics take over. "My God" is particularly nice.Ultimately, it's hard to pick the kind of audience this will appeal to. Shawn Colvin is a good reference point, although Hayes is not nearly as commercial. If that seems remotely appealing, then get it, and listen to it a few times. It definitely gets better with each listen, and you'll realize it's a multilayered record, offering more with every time through."

Something from last year to check out

alexander laurence | Los Angeles, CA | 04/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gemma Hayes is a very strikingly beautiful 24 year old from Tipperary, Ireland. She decided about five years ago to drop out of college and try playing music. Her family was pissed. After a few years working in a launderette, and playing in local pubs, she got some support gigs for David Gray and Beth Orton. She waited two years to sign a record deal. Hayes spent that time developing her unique vision. Record companies were looking for the next PJ Harvey. She ended up signing with a French label and recording her album with Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Studios. Hayes' early songs were acoustic guitar and voice, so there were many comparison with Joni Mitchell. People don't realize that she came of age when a lot of that folk music is not on the radar. The Cure and My Bloody Valentine seem to be better starting points. "Back of My Hand" has a bass line as if played by Peter Hook. Much of the record takes as its subject relationships and love affairs. Songs like "My God" are almost too personal, and full of life and melancholy. The sparseness is moving. Just as the big sound of "Let A Good Thing Go" shows her range. This record is split up into "day" and "night" sides: the first part has more electric guitars and walls of sound; where "night" is more folksy and gentle. "Ran For Miles" sounds like a modern country song. All good things must end though. Gemma Hayes covers a lot of ground in this debut record, and draws us in to her world."