I love it when an album lays down a statement of intent with the opening track. A declaration of where the artist is at both emotionally and spiritually, a let the music do the talking wakeup call that announces the beginning of a potent experience to follow. The kind of track that George Martin used to call a ‘pot boiler,’ and that is the very thing that launches the music on this superb latest album release from Elles Bailey. So, she begins with the title track, a song that has so much drama in its structure, such levitation in the horns and purpose in the chorus lines that you instantly think of words like ‘strength’ and ‘survival.’ These are exactly what this song is telling us about, the southern soul heft that resonates with the washes of organ, the Stax style brass and restless rhythm that accompanies the acoustic strumming launching the tune all screaming of a passion that will not be denied. She is coming out fighting, not just from the personal traumas that lacerate our living experiences but also in defence of her very place in the cauldron that is the lot of an expressive, performing musician. “Here’s to every song that never made the stage” she sings, an honest confession that even after inspiration comes knocking there are still battles ahead. Then she testifies, maybe by falling to her knees – it certainly sound like she might have – at the finale, with a cry of “God knows you’ve tried, but you can’t take my story away.”

I will not be denying you that story here either, for Elles is not a singer arriving at this, her sixth full length studio album, without some baggage and lineage. The authentic Americana Bailey delivers today has, in some ways, been there from the start. An early musical influence was her fathers Chess Records collection which gives a clue to the roots of this Bristol born artists ear for the gritty, rough textures in authentic early US R&B and electric blues. But more than that, it was a severe bout of illness at the age of three when bacterial pneumonia saw her intubated for seventeen days which affected her voice from there on in, giving it that smoky husk that feels so at home tackling the real down and dirty music she favours. She first cut her teeth in an indie band before finding a natural home in the blues‑and‑roots world; a sound that’s been pulling Elles an ever‑growing following. Over the past decade she’s released a steady run of records while her live reputation has surged, thanks to high‑profile support slots with musical heavyweights like Van Morrison and Jools Holland, and the electric, communal charge she brings to every stage she steps onto. This latest release however has seen Elles take a little longer, electing to afford the time the material needed while she both played and worked her way out of a self-confessed dark place.

Bailey may have felt some disconnection, going through a period where she questioned her sense of place and identity, an all too typical phase for a creative thinker to encounter on their journey, but the flipside of that coin is how the light she saw at the end of the tunnel is also visible in this music’s DNA. The clear message at the centre of the animated ‘Growing Roots’ is that, away from life on the road, Elles has found comfort in the simple pleasures of building her own nest. An early album highlight is the bouncing ‘Better Days,’ but there is a tragic association for Elles indelibly tied to this track. It was written by her late friend, Matt Long, the singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the award-winning band Catfish. Matt tragically passed away in October last year, 18 months after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. He and Bailey emerged onto the UK blues scene around the same time, crossing paths at festivals and on tour. “It felt like we were climbing this wild musical ladder together,” she said, “and then he got diagnosed with cancer.” During that time the whole community came together to help raise funds for his treatment. When he died, his parents showed her this song he had written, which Elles honours with the full-on conviction it deserves.

On other tracks, the introspective pull is unmistakable. ‘Blessed,’ a heavy‑hearted soul ballad, turns past hardship into something purposeful, finding its strength in the good people who step forward when life hits its roughest patches. The minimal guitar decoration that punctuates this tune is exceptional I must say, adding a dynamic edge that sharpens the whole arrangement. ‘Constant Need To Keep Going’ articulates the search for motivation in the face of obstacles and fatigue with a steady, relentless pulse that gains power in endurance. A strong soulful surge is never too far away, like ‘Take A Step Back’ celebrating the relief of turning away via an explosive chorus or ‘Angel,’ which has the most authentic Motown stomp you could hope to hear outside of Detroit in the sixties. Originally written as a ballad three ago with Aaron Lee Tasjan, it was a time when Elles mood was low and her mind fearful that vocal damage experienced back then might be permanent. When coming across the lyrics some time later however, she re-worked the song with producer Luke Potashnick into the classy floor filler we hear today. From start to finish, ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ is stitched together skilfully as an ode to resilience and survival. So thoroughly does it identify reasons to be positive, sprinkling feelings that can lift a person out of the doldrums and insert reminders to take life’s simple pleasures for the gift that they are, that I would steer this record toward anyone who could use a little light in their day; but it deserves far more than that narrow framing. This is a collection built to be cherished by anyone who values musicians who can turn feeling into fire, and who understand just how transformative great playing and great songwriting can be.

Danny Neill

You can buy the album right here: https://amzn.to/477Be9M