Elise Hayes
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Elise Hayes

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"Review of Elise Hayes "Set Love Loose""

Review of Elise Hayes 2012 "Set Love Loose" EP


Long ago in 1971, the LP "Tapestry" was recorded by the legendary Carole King in the equally legendary Studio B at A&M Records in Hollywood California. The album yielded the soul masterpieces such as "I Feel the Earth Move", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", & "It's Too Late".

What sets this unique piece of inspired music apart from most? Well for one, King utilized harmonies popularized by Holland-Dozier-Holland in the Motown sound, because like many of the legends in the past, King respected that from which her musical roots emanated, & she used these roots to break new ground, while planting herself firmly in the annals of songwriting history.

Fast Forward a few decades, & we find technology has seemingly trumped the art of rehearsal, & vocal excellence, all but stamping out any traces of pride among today's studio musicians. The heroes of organic performance have become farther & fewer between.

Enter one Elise Hayes, a native of Keene, New Hampshire, & graduate of Berklee school of music. Listening to her latest effort proves one thing for sure, She took her music education serious, & never imagined having her vocal notes tuned by software, & her piano parts "quantized" & "corrected" in lieu of the genuine performance skills her instructors apparently demanded of her.

But still, it takes more than great musical skills to make a great record. It takes an ability to connect with ones soul, & bring the deepest of emotions from your heart & mind, to their fingers, limbs & vocal chords. Hayes achieves that kind of synergy with her voice, her Piano, & her band on this EP. The real feel instrumentation & great tones take the listener back to a time when the fatness of analog ruled the school, and songwriting was never an afterthought.

Some highlights on the CD are the vintage Motown styled vocal arrangements in "Best & good enough", which pass the test of authenticity where so many other EPs fail. Whereas this particular sound is an art unto itself, & Holy Grail of musical history, few artists dare to venture into this area, knowing how hard it is to pay tribute to it & do it justice. Hayes success here shows that she is apparently undeterred & confident.

While being a slight departure from Hayes' heavy R&B/Soul influences, "Everywhere I go", (penned by Hayes and close friend & fellow recording artist Carly Pearce) has the kind of Americana feel that eventually made artists like Alison Krauss & Nancy Griffith Household names. The sparse instrumentation leaves a lot of room to appreciate the most flattering nuances of Elise Hayes' voice & tone.

"As Soon As the Sun Sets" is the best kind of the writing there is.. It's real, & it happened. Hayes tells a story from a real chapter in her life, where consoling a friend & watching them spiral into the same mistakes over and over compelled her to vent her thoughts and emotions on the calamities into a song. She successfully takes the listener through the emotions of having lessons learned & bridges burned.

A few listens to this EP, and any doubts about the veracity and validity of Hayes as a recording artist are summarily dismissed by anyone who knows their music and the art of recording. That's why The Nashville Hotsheet is compelled to do something we don't often do. We're giving this EP 5 well deserved stars.. Well done Ms. Hayes! ~Dan Leveillee 10/14/12 - The Nashville Hotsheet


"C.D. On Songs - Elise Hayes "High Road""

We’re going to give you a little time to get ready for this one, unless this song hits you so hard that you become a huge Elise Hayes fan and want to see her kick off her mega-tour tonight in New York. And then follow her up and down the Eastern seaboard. Or you can wait for her to hit it back home here, when the New Hampshire-born and Berklee-bred Elise Hayes comes back home to play several shows in Cambridge, Boston, Norwood and Chelmsford, to name a few local areas. From the sounds of this track, it sounds like there might be a few people waiting for her to get back here and sing to us.

Elise Hayes – “Got What I Gave”
[download it!]

In situations such as this, it is clear that the spotlight shines brightest upon the vocalist. She’s the singer-songwriter, so we expect the singing to be at the forefront of the song. This genre is sometimes maligned when the singer or their song falls short. Or maybe tries too hard. To paraphrase Baby Bear, Elise Hayes hits it “juuuuust right!” in this song.

Hayes’ arresting vocal presence is at the same time dignified and personably approachable. She coasts in on a cloud of an official-sounding string section, and it’s like one of those people who is getting off the vehicle before it even stops moving. Hayes arrives and immediately establishes contact with the audience through a powerfully sweet vocal presence. She makes it look easy, just sort of letting the tones spill out of her.

The singer and the song are both up to task in “Got What I Gave.” If we’re to take the title literally, Hayes gives it all. There are some micro-melodies in the track, but most of it is an extended, linear mega-melody, granted its power by the springwater clarity of the performer’s voice. Elise Hayes gives it all, and we thank her for it. - Boston Band Crush


"C.D. On Songs - Elise Hayes "Got What I Gave""

We’re going to give you a little time to get ready for this one, unless this song hits you so hard that you become a huge Elise Hayes fan and want to see her kick off her mega-tour tonight in New York. And then follow her up and down the Eastern seaboard. Or you can wait for her to hit it back home here, when the New Hampshire-born and Berklee-bred Elise Hayes comes back home to play several shows in Cambridge, Boston, Norwood and Chelmsford, to name a few local areas. From the sounds of this track, it sounds like there might be a few people waiting for her to get back here and sing to us.

Elise Hayes – “Got What I Gave”
[download it!]

In situations such as this, it is clear that the spotlight shines brightest upon the vocalist. She’s the singer-songwriter, so we expect the singing to be at the forefront of the song. This genre is sometimes maligned when the singer or their song falls short. Or maybe tries too hard. To paraphrase Baby Bear, Elise Hayes hits it “juuuuust right!” in this song.

Hayes’ arresting vocal presence is at the same time dignified and personably approachable. She coasts in on a cloud of an official-sounding string section, and it’s like one of those people who is getting off the vehicle before it even stops moving. Hayes arrives and immediately establishes contact with the audience through a powerfully sweet vocal presence. She makes it look easy, just sort of letting the tones spill out of her.

The singer and the song are both up to task in “Got What I Gave.” If we’re to take the title literally, Hayes gives it all. There are some micro-melodies in the track, but most of it is an extended, linear mega-melody, granted its power by the springwater clarity of the performer’s voice. Elise Hayes gives it all, and we thank her for it. - Boston Band Crush


"Album Review: "Set Love Loose" Elise Hayes"

For most of the past year, I have been hearing the name Elise Hayes mentioned around town. Words used to describe her were always “wow”, “amazing”, “incredible artist”, ect. So, obviously, FOCUS wanted to seek her out and hear her perform. As it happened, last night FOCUS was at Winners just by Music Row for the “Whiskey Jam”, which has become a weekly musical event in this city known for featuring some of the best unsigned AND signed artists in town. You never actually know WHO might take the stage at any moment. This is a local place, not frequented by out-of-towners. The artists know they can show up, not get hounded, be able to have a fun night out visiting with friends, and hop up on stage to play a few songs. No pressure, just fun and there’s always a crowd of locals there to fill the room.

Anyway, back to Elise Hayes…we were invited by another artist performing that night, Andrea Young, who we’ve come to know through her fiddle playing recently with such artists as Jana Kramer. Andrea has a new duo called Reverse Cowgirl, who are also amazing, but this is about Elise Hayes. Unbeknownst to us, Elise was performing just before our friend, Andrea’s band. Didn’t catch her name at first, but when she started singing, she took our immediate attention! “WOW” is right and exactly the correct way to describe her & her music. She held our attention from the moment she took the stage until she left it. Sadly, only 3 songs, but those songs were amazing and left us wanting to hear more! Met her just following her stage performance. Not only does she have all the qualities it takes to make it as a star these days, but such a genuine, warm quality about her. Plus, she graduated from Berklee College. HELLO?? Serious musical talent here!

So, she shared her 5-song EP entitled SET LOVE LOOSE with us. In a word: AMAZING! Find her on iTunes or at her website: www.elisehayes.com She’s a little bit Adele, a little Michelle Branch, but a whole lot of Elise Hayes. An artist in her own right to be reckoned with. Pop, alt-rock, soul sound that is keyboard-driven that she plays herself. Just flawless, strong voice, incredible talent here in Nashville just waiting to be snatched up by the right label.

My favorite song from the album? “If You Don’t” — A mid-tempo song asking “who’s gonna love me if you don’t?”. Heartbreaking, beautiful, catchy, and radio-friendly. There’s not a weak one on this EP. Get it and support her! - Focus on the 615


Discography

"Steady the Pace" - EP - Released 2009
*Featured on Pandora Radio
*Played on College Radio across Northeast

"High Road" - Single - Released 2010
*Played on College Radio across Northeast

"Set Love Loose" - EP - Released 2012
*Referred to by 'Focus on the 615' as "Flawless. Strong voice, incredible talent just waiting to be snatched up by the right label."

Photos

Bio

Sometimes it’s a haunting melody or playful lyric that hooks a person when they hear a song. Elise Hayes draws you in from the first note she sings. With a voice described as “powerfully sweet” and “blissful”, Elise affectively blends thoughtful and expressive songwriting with soulful and heartfelt vocals.

Elise recently relocated to the sweet, southern city of Nashville from Boston. “Nashville has been such an amazing experience for me so far. I am constantly in awe of the amazing community in this town. It’s the most talent I have ever seen,” she says, “I feel so lucky to be a part of it.”

Originally from a small town in New Hampshire, Elise grew up surrounded by folk music. “My parents were big fans of the 1960's generation of singer/songwriters. James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King will forever be the soundtrack of my childhood,” she says, “I am so thankful for that – the standard for writing great songs was set for me from the time that I was very young.”

Elise was 12 when she discovered soul music in a used CD store in her hometown. “I knew that every time I had heard the Jackson 5, something inside of me felt alive. I went to that shop in search of more of that feeling.” She found it in the music of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight. “I was hooked on that stuff for several years. I still am. It holds such a special place in my heart. I discovered the singer that I would aspire to become through those melodies and voices.”

Combining these two genres has been a defining factor for Elise. “I’m really excited to see how Nashville is changing and expanding stylistically. It inspires me to keep my writing on point, and try to say things differently than people are used to hearing. I want people to feel that spark when they hear my music – the same way I did when I was younger and still do today. Music is such a universal, beautiful thing. I just want to give back a little bit of the inspiration and passion that I’ve gotten from it.”