I make no apology for loving this young lady's voice. Ever since her
debut album "Old Love Will Rust" in 2019 (which sold out of two vinyl pressings),
Rita Ray has enjoyed a steady rise on the contemporary soul
scene. Her songwriting, voice and grand productions in studio as well as
live settings are a thing of beauty. Her talent has been recognised in her
home country by being awarded Estonian Jazz Awards, "Young Jazz Talent of
the Year" 2021.
With style and grace, after pre-releasing three singles from the album, "Love Ain't The Same" (Mar '21), "No Greater Love", (Aug '21), "Please Wait For Me" (Nov '22), Rita invites you into her
personal space once again with her sophomore album "A Life Of Its Own" which was released yesterday (28 Nov 2022). With lush cinematic string
arrangements and vintage instrumentation the album is the lovechild of a
lifelong affair with music by Miss Ray and her first-class band.
The album opens with the beautiful lead single "Love Ain't The Same" followed by the second single from the album, the retro, "No Greater Love". Then comes four southern soul style tracks in the Bill Withers vein, "So Sweet" and "Ms. Steal-Your-Man" parts 1 & 2 (on the latter getting down and funky) and "Sing It With Love". The penultimate track "Needless To Say" is a more sultry and soulful bluesy/jazz affair with the album closing
with a soulful ballad "Please Wait For Me" which her latest single (released 18 Nov).
If you're looking for dance tracks then you will be disappointed as
this is authentic, honest, soul music, albeit of the blue-eyed
variety, played by real musicians with no electronic gimmickry or computer
wizardry to be heard.
Please note that the album is also available via
Bandcamp, so if you're planning on buying then this Friday is Bandcamp Friday where
Bandcamp waives it's normal fees meaning that the music creators receive
more of the proceeds.
Many thanks to Henrik Ehte at Funk Embassy Records for servicing the
album.
Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.
Click icons below for further information or to connect with the
artist.
| Rating: | 8.6 |
| Explicit: | N |
| Genre/Style: | New Soul |
| Format: | Album |
| Media: | Digital |
| Label: | Funk Embassy Records |
| Cat No: | None |
| Date: | 28/11/2022 |
| Price: | £5.49 |
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Thank you for your work and interest in the new Rita Ray album!
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