Two contrasting albums from Hayley Griffiths, former Karnataka vocalist. Melanie is her rock band’s debut, whilst Far From Here is an album of Celtic Folk. Both are very enjoyable.
I suspect that most people reading these words will have first encountered Hayley Griffiths as lead vocalist in the incarnation of Karnataka which released Secrets of Angels in 2015. Indeed, Feels Like Home remains one of my favourite and most played in recent years pieces of music – warm, symphonic, and featuring a stunning vocal by Griffiths which rises to a different level at its denouement – a level only heard very rarely.
It was, then, very disappointing to this reviewer when Ian, for reasons I am unsure of, called a halt to that particular iteration of his project.
Hayley returns to our aural senses in early 2023 with the release of not just one, but two, albums, and albums which have in common little else besides having at their core one of the finest voices in the business, a voice to die for, really. Of course, simply having a wonderful voice does not a great album make (although it is on this website a decent start to considerations), but I set a reminder for the release of these a while ago because I genuinely felt there would be a huge amount of listening pleasure.
Melanie is the debut album of her Hayley Griffiths Band, featuring former bandmates Cagri Tozluoglu on keyboards and Jimmy Pallagrosi on drums. The line-up is completed by Mathieu Spaeter on guitars and Jordan Brown on bass, with a fantastic guest performance by Nick D’Virgilio on the final track, Dust to Gold.
Far From Here is a different beast altogether, this being an album centring around folk & Celtic staples, an important part of my musical journey as regular readers of mine will know.
So, let’s dissect Melanie first. I think that the first thing to state here is that if you only like your progressive rock to contain more noodles than a typical takeaway this album is not for you. For the rest of you (the majority of openminded folk), there is much to please here.
The opening riffs of Broken Lullaby provide us with a marker for the rest of the album, grandiose and proud. As the track progresses to its expansive core, there is a huge noise, and it has an operatic feel. This is a brash and thoroughly enjoyable start to proceedings.
Last Goodbye is a breaking up song with Griffiths and the band swapping between regret and anger to theatrical effect. There are some nice keyboards, and Pallagrosi impresses with some complex drum licks. Three minutes in we get a fine guitar riff overscoring the band and when Griffiths returns, a loud classic rock treat develops operatically again.
The title track follows and tells the tale of someone to be respected, if not feared. There is a rip roaring guitar solo and the rhythm section push matters along forcefully. Crisp, clean, and great fun, see the video at the top. I think this will be an audience favourite come the tour dates which follow in 2023.
Perfect Lie is probably my favourite on the album. The opening belies the delicate vocal and instrumentation which follows. The contrasts between the ballad segments and the louder passages are interesting, but at its core is a wonderful vocal performance, especially three minutes in when this is combined with a delicious guitar passage.
Made My Bed is up next. This opens and closes with a wonderfully expressive drum riff. Piano, bass, and light guitar push this mood before Hayley produces a mournful vocal of self-regret, a mood very much added to by a wonderful acoustic guitar solo before the song enters its final couple of minutes. This is a very good song which you feel should be a regular on playlists produced by Planet Rock et al. Full of expression and virtuosity, it has hit single written all over it.
Little Star provides a pleasant contrast in a song which is a sort of merging of blues and showtime reminiscent of much of the pomp end of the spectrum of classic art rock. Spaeter provides another fantastic guitar riff to lead us into the more expansive closing passage.
As mentioned before, D’Virgilio guests on album close, Dust to Gold. You do, of course, notice him instantly – fans of BBT will be more than familiar with a very solid vocalist in addition to his “day job”. At just short of seven minutes, this is also the longest track on the album and the “proggiest” in execution. There are some more delightfully complex drum patterns underneath crunching riffs on a song which talks to me of the freedom Griffiths has with her career, that of taking accountability, banishing all self-doubt, and showing herself to all who wish to see. The passage three and a half minutes in, with the vocal jousting, is a joy and as the intensity rises, the band themselves more than rise to the challenge posed by the vocals. The closing section is rock music at its commercial finest, and a balm to the senses in these challenging times. I defy anyone not to shake heads and tap toes in appreciation of the happiness wrought.
And so, to Far From Here. From the opening notes of the title track, this is a pleasure to listen to and is embedded above. Celtic to its core and wonderfully fresh, I adore this track which is probably my favourite across the two albums. The track was written, and the album as a whole produced, by Mike Stobbie, yes he of Pallas fame. Anthemic and quite gorgeous.
All of this album features Griffiths’ pure voice as its driving force and strength. The Irish lament Siúil a Rún (also above) is starkly beautiful. The version of Paul Simon’s timeless classic Scarborough Fair is executed with justice to the original, with pipes, harp and a gorgeous acoustic guitar accompanying the voice before the track is orchestrated with a little bit of West End theatre.
When You Were Sweet Sixteen has been recorded many times. (The Bonnie Banks O’) Loch Lomond is as old - both are the definition of traditional Celtic folk music, not to be dismissed as mere “easy listening”, and Griffiths brings them to life. Caledonia is a more recent song, but no less important. It was written in the 70’s by Dougie Maclean, and this paeon to the homeland is simply gorgeous.
I think the best way to summarise these two albums is that you really could do a whole lot worse than spending a couple of hours in the company of this fine singer and the very talented people who are helping her to bring her musical vision to us. Melanie will be enjoyed by all who not only appreciated her time with Karnataka, but also those of you who love classic rock without the arty knobs on, or much of Clive Nolan’s output, whilst Far From Here is simply perfect for sitting down, as I am writing this, with a drink having had a relaxing, stress busting aromatherapy bath. Sometimes, you know, simply laying back and letting it wash over you without wishing to over analyse is all you need.
