Rachel Loy
Nashville, Tennessee, United States | INDIE
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Published: March 18, 2005 08:24 AM
Rachel Loy kicked off the St. Patrick's Day festivities Thursday (3/17) at Momo's, clad in green and starting the night with a great mix of smart, playful and very tuneful adult pop.
Loy brings quite a bit to the table as a tunesmith. The 13 tracks on her just-released "Love the Mess" feel more crafted, more considered and more important to the person singing than most of what's been coming out of pop radio's hook factories for most of the past decade. Quite a feat for someone just cracking the 21-year-old threshold.
On stage, Loy and her 6-piece band crackle with spunk and energy. Loy handles bass duties and mines a great, full-throated girl-tone, somewhere between Natalie Imbruglia and Susanna Hoffs. Loy's set didn't veer from the album's tracks or noticeably from the album's arrangements. Standout numbers included "Drive Around," a gem that's one of the strongest tracks on the album, and Loy's ode to a smothering paramour, "Love Me Too Much."
"Love the Mess" is available only directly from Loy's websi - www.LiveDaily.com
"Oh, you shouldn't have made me another mix CD. Now you're calling me again, but you call me first thing in the morning." So cautions Rachel Loy in her girlish, shimmering voice on "Love Me Too Much" from her local debut, Love the Mess. In doing so, Loy steps up and takes her seat on the long, long, long singer-songwriter bench. It's an impressive entrance, serving notice that Austin's youthful generation of songwriters and musicians raised in music camps are ready to rock & roll. Loy's songwriting – she composed all 13 tracks – is especially notable. She's firmly in the pop mold, unafraid of the occasional derivative influence; "Posers" owes melodically to the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun," but her lyrical dismay is her own. Loy's voice has a pretty, airy tone to it, framed by Carl Thiel's expert touch as producer, and shining on "After the Storm." Despite her declaration on the title track, "I've been thinking maybe lately I would rather count my scars than just stop complaining," Loy obviously hasn't the thick skin of a veteran who's been through numerous marriages, cheating boyfriends, and the usual rumble-tumble of life lived. Yet as the sweetly sensual "Looking at Me" demonstrates, neither does she have faux-bravado or the pretense of experience about such things. In a wonderful way, it's truly refreshing the way Rachel Loy's 21 years are evident, reflected in a world where mix CDs are a measure of affection. (Thursday, March 17, 8pm @ Momos) - Austin Chronicle
Shortly after seeing the news of the Iraq War on television, Rachel Loy worte the song "The Same Man," a hopeful, endearing tribute to our loved ones serving overseas. "It doesn't really take a pro- or anti-war stance, it just kind of puts a face on a soldier," Loy had said after the debut. Two months later, at age 19, she became a national pop star.
Aside from being broadcast on radios across the nation, she performed on CNN and the "Today Show," later to become the first full-time student at the Berklee College of Music to be picked up by a major record label. Epic Records adopted her with the intention of molding Loy and her songs to fit the label's image. Sonn thereafter, Loy and Epic split before an album was made, due to artistic differences. Loy returned to Berklee, where she earned a full scholarship on electric bass, completing her degree in three years. Now, she's back in Austin with a debut album, "Love the Mess," and a regular gig at Momo's.
Last Thursday's show marked the one-week anniversary of the release of "Mess". Backed by a sensual jazzy-pop band, Loy used both old and new keepsakes to warm the quaint audience. "Overboard" charmed as the opener, followed up by "Unscrew You," a sexy strut delivered with a cool confidence by Loy's sugary voice. Halfway through the night, Loy briefly dismissed her band to allow for a solo acoustic seduction (her most seductive: "Looking at Me"). As the band rejoined for the rainy-day "Gone for Good," drummer Mike Meadows and keyboardist Dave Madden (more Berklee grads) kept the heart of the music to a reserved pulse that allowed for more focus on Loy, who couldn't have been more adorable.
-Jeff McCrary - Austin American Statesman
July 13th, 2010 by Jayvee
Rachel Loy is a walking contradiction – in the best possible way. The bass-wielding Ms. Loy who sports dreads on stage doesn’t necessarily fit the cookie-cutter image of the tortured soul, singer-songwriter we’ve grown accustomed to…and we like that.
She recently released a self-titled EP, Rachel Loy, which is inspired by her fairly recent move to Nashville and all that comes with it including heart-break and the struggles of balancing life with career ambitions. Her voice has a soft-sweet tone to it, reminiscent of Lisa Loeb, Jewel, and indie darling Leona Naess, while her words demand attention thanks to sharp wit and intricate writing style.
The EP kicks off with “Mean to Me,”a heartfelt song about keeping your distance from someone who broke your heart as means to prevent falling back into a hurtful pattern. Yeah, I’m just going to go ahead and declare this as my woe-is-me anthem for this year, cause it’s that good.
There’s also the perfectly penned, introspective “Maybe It’s Me” that hits home proving Ms. Loy is fully capable of playing the role of the aching, vulnerable songstress like her contemporaries. Though have to admit, we were a bit disappointed to discover Ms. Loy’s “Hey Cara,” isn’t included on the EP. She performed this song at her Nashville show a few weeks back at 12th & Porter and we’ve been addicted to it since. It’s inspired by text-messaging blunder – we’ve all been there.
Be sure to head over to iTunes and purchase Rachel Loy’s latest EP – you’ll thank us later. New Yorkers, you can catch Ms. Loy performing at Rockwood Music Hall on July 24th.
Update: NYC date moving (stay tuned). LA readers, check out Ms. Loy perform at Hotel Cafe on July 26th. - www.theroundtable.com
Songstress Rachel Loy will drop her self-titled EP at a release party at 12th and Porter on July 1 in Nashville.
The new album is a mix of subject matter that revolves around the singer’s daily love and desires with a hint of a Shawn Colvin and The Cardigans sound.
“I feel lyrically and musically, this EP is the best stuff I’ve ever released,” Loy said.
The album is attributed to her vast musical experience as she has maintained a steady solo career, while managing to play bass with artists such as Mikky Ekko and Julianne Hough.
Through working with different genres, Loy keeps her focus on the music instead of grabbing the spotlight at times.
“I remember how badly I wanted to be pop and I wanted to be clever, and I wanted to hear my music on big radio with a big record deal. I also wanted to express myself. And I did. But now that's the main thing. With the musical and personal changes I've gone through in the last few years, I have completely new things I want to say,” she said.
For more information or to sample songs, visit www.myspace.com/rachelloy. - Murfreesboro Post
Discography
"The Same Man", single released by Sony Epic Records in April, 2003. National airplay for 1 month
"Love the Mess", was independently released on February 4, 2005
"Being Little", was independently released on November 15th, 2005
"Tongue and Teeth", was independently released in August, 2007
"Rachel Loy - EP" was independently released in July 1st, 2010
Photos
Bio
Hard to pin down, and hard to forget, Rachel Loy has always had it both ways: she's a sweet, petite blonde who sings heartrending ballads with an aching vulnerability, and she drives her electric bass like it's a pack of pit bulls. She works incredibly hard, but she makes it look easy. She rode the fleeting fame train with a major-label, Billboard-charted hit single at the ripe age of nineteen, and now she's ready to be discovered—again.
In the late nineties, Rachel Loy made a precocious debut at the age of thirteen, playing bass and singing with her sister for standing-room-only crowds at the renowned "Babes On Sixth" club in Austin. They held the Friday night slot for almost four years. When she went off to college, Rachel did that her own way too: on a full-ride electric bass scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music, in Boston. While there, in 2003, she won national attention with her song "The Same Man," which she wrote for a friend shipped off to the war in Iraq. Epic released the song, and in no time Rachel was performing on The Today Show and CNN. She graduated Berklee with honors.
It's safe to say she was the only college student in the country who got to team up on songwriting with heavy-hitters Clif Magness (Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson), Steve Kipner (Christina Aguilara), Billy Mann (Pink, Ricky Martin), Victoria Shaw (Garth Brooks), Larry Seyer (Asleep at the Wheel), and Patrick Leonard (Madonna, Jewel).
Fruitful and fun as that was, Rachel says it seems like a long time ago. "I remember how badly I wanted to be Pop, and I wanted to be clever, and I wanted to hear my music on big radio with a big record deal," Rachel says. "I also wanted to express myself. And I did. But now that's the main thing. With the musical and personal changes I've gone through in the last few years, I have completely new things I want to say."
In 2008, Rachel moved to Nashville and began making her mark as a bass player and songwriter, playing for an eclectic batch of artists ranging from Dave Pahanish, Rebecca Lynn Howard and Universal Recording Artist Chris Janson, to American Idol top 6 contestant Carmen Rasmusen and Mikky Ekko. She has also co-written songs for stars like Rebecca Lynn Howard, Shane McAnally, Victoria Shaw, Kathy Valentine of the Go Gos and Tony Scalzo of Fastball. Her music has been heard on the renowned ABC primetime drama “Eastwick” and her dance single, “I Can Feel It (Loving Me)”, with producer Adam Lilley received 4 weeks of Radio 1 airplay and placements on 3 dance compilations, but her credentials do not stop there. Four of Loy’s dance songs can also be found in the upcoming independent film “When Harry Tries to Marry”. Rachel is currently the bassist for country artist Julianne Hough.
The new self-titled EP is the product of the Nashville stew Rachel's been simmering in. She feels being a resident of this southern city has played an imperative part on her songwriting and talent as an artist, which is evident in this record. Every song tells a clear story, ranging from former relationships and fighting for love to the struggle of embarking on a career in this competitive, yet compelling industry. With influences like the Indigo Girls, Patti Griffin and Shawn Colvin, the album encompasses passionate rock sounds but is evenly matched with lush, emotional textures for an exceptional balance. It's the product of her unique history, her unusually expansive musical experience and is bound to please the ears of many. "I feel, lyrically and musically, this EP is the best stuff I've ever put out,” she said.
With hard-earned, heartfelt things to say, the honesty to say them, and no desire to slow down, Rachel Loy is bound to be discovered—again and again—as the generous and gifted artist that she is.
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