Gemma Ray - Lights Out Zoltar!
Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 10:41AM 
Pop/Rock - As if the the title of her new album Lights Out Zoltar! (Bronzerat) didn't give you the hint, Brit retro-pop chanteuse Gemma Ray says that the motto behind her new songs is "embrace the cheese." Delightfully twisted and drawing on a 50' and 60's style that seems lit by both garish neon and the warm glow of a lime green lava lamp, Zoltar is all about ragged twang, reverb, cha-cha-chas, wall-of-sound effects and a voice that grabs you by the neck and won't let go. And yes, that's a good feeling. Or as Brit music bible Q put it: "imagine Norah Jones on Amy Winehouse's drugs." Forget the navel-gazing introspection, folks, this is big, brassy, ballsy and a whole lot of fun.
“I was determined not to slip into self-indulgent doom and gloom," say Ray. “I’m naturally drawn to the beauty of darker chords and soundscapes, so if I aim for The Beach Boys on E, the halfway point where I end up becomes an interesting juxtaposition.” Brian Wilson on ecstacy? Well, you get the point. Lead track "Fist of a Flower" is a lot more about the fist and less about the flower as Ray delivers what sounds like Loretta Lynn produced by Phil Spector, a massive, warm and sweaty, tough as nails but sultry song made for a tinny AM radio car speaker cranked to eleven. We're also enamored with "100 mph (In Second Gear)", a Dirty-Dancing-in-Twin Peaks ditty, all spooky, swooping orchestration, starched collars and the smell of cheap hairspray. “An entrancing tapestry of soul and blues, full of dark themes and late-night confessions, all presented in a sultry, seductive voice. A wonderful debut album” - The Sun
Gemma Ray - "The Fist of a Flower" (from the album Lights Out Zoltar!)
Gemma Ray - "100mph (In Second Gear)" (from the album Lights Out Zoltar!)
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