Heartbreak, regret and loneliness: we’ve all experienced it, but rarely is it expressed as eloquently and coherently as it is on Kaleigh Watts’ new EP “Hung Me Dry”. These themes run deep and clear throughout the five tracks as Watts opens up and allows herself to be vulnerable and emotional with the listener, making them feel connected and like an old friend she’s confiding in.
Even in the opening moments of the album, the feeling of isolation is evident as they’re stripped down to just musique concrète and her intoxicating voice, which is punctuated by emotive inflection. You can feel the ache as the bass slowly creeps into the track before the rest of the music comes crashing in like a wave, the instrumentation serving as further expression of her anguish.
“Cry” displays Watts’ ability to flawlessly pair her music with her lyrics, and her vocals serve as the central focus in this poignant number. The appropriately named “Blue” is more of a bluesy/jazzy tune that offers a slight change of pace while perfectly complementing the tone of the album. In the title track “Hung Me Dry”, she strikes a notable vocal balance — soft, yet rich and sultry — that also demonstrates her range and her ability to convey complex feelings amidst pared down instrumention and arrangement.
The album finishes strong with “Grieve”, a song brimming with lyrics that are as sophisticated and beautiful as they are heartbreaking. It all comes full circle and concludes with the same approach and feeling of isolation that led off the EP as it is once again stripped down to Kaleigh’s breathtaking vocals:
This album is beautiful through and through. There is no way to single out just one song; it is truly a work of art that begs to be admired in its entirety, which I strongly urge you to do here.
Keep up with Kaleigh on her Facebook page and learn more about her on her website. Also, be sure to catch Kaleigh’s performance at the City of Om Yoga Festival at Lansdowne Park this Saturday, June 3rd, and again on June 17th at Kaffe 1870 with The Artichoke Hearts and Rosanna Nicol.
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