Gemma Hayes 'The Hollow Of Morning'

The music of Gemma Hayes first came to my attention in 2001 with the superb '4.35am' EP. A wonderful mix of soothing acoustic guitar-led ballads and loud full-band songs, it set the tone for 2002's 'Night On My Side' debut LP. This was an exceptional album, again mixing ballads with rockers, always interesting and Gemma's voice and guitar playing marked her down as a future star, a Mercury Prize nomination moved the level of expectation even higher.

Unfortunately, things seem to have gone badly wrong since then. When I saw Gemma play Bush Hall in London in 2002 she seemed absolutely at the top of her game, holding the attention of everyone in the room that night with some beautiful singing and playing. However, the follow up album took four years to arrive amid stories of changes of producer and problems with 'writer's block'. When it did arrive, it was a big disappointment. Gone were the effective ballad/rockers mix, replaced by a general mid-tempo MOR sound that seemed designed to get Gemma played on the radio but did nothing for her career.

Here, she returns with a third album, released on her own label. The very first track 'This Is What You Do' is a great opener. Over a piano and acoustic guitar background, Gemma sings in a hushed whisper, reminiscent of Stina Nordernstam and the effect is haunting and quite brilliant. Unfortunately this new direction does not last. 'Out of our hands', which follows, is a standard mid-tempo radio-friendly song with a catchy chorus, but hardly groundbreaking. It brings to mind Jeff Tweedy's comments in an old Wilco DVD when he dismissed 'easy rockers'. At least three of the remaining songs follow this exact formula and it is a shame because Gemma is capable of so much more. 'At Constant Speed', for example, is slow and thoughful and 'Chasing Dragons' is unhurried and very pretty, bringing to mind the acoustic songs on Gemma's early EPs.

This is an improvement on her second album but at only 36 minutes there is not enough here of the same quality as was found on her debut LP and early EPs. She promises an acoustic album later this year and that could be very good news, if she follows the formula of the excellent 'This Is What You Do'.

5.9