Album Review
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4
Stars
MELANIE
The Hayley Griffiths Band
372
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UK
Hayley Griffiths is a classically trained vocalist who spent nearly a decade as the lead singer in the international touring shows Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. Hayley’s voice was heard by audiences across the globe, performing in over 400 Cities across 35 Countries and 6 Continents. With this wealth of touring experience under her belt, Hayley was headhunted to join the progressive rock band Karnataka in 2011, and her journey into the world of prog rock began.
After leaving Karnataka in 2017, Hayley started her own solo project, The Hayley Griffiths Band, with whom she headlined prog rock festivals from France to South America and released a live Double DVD and CD. MELANIE will be their first official studio album and features 7 new tracks, plus 3 bonus songs for the physical release only. Hayley is joined by her former Karnataka band mates, Cagri Tozluoglu (keys) and Jimmy Pallagrosi (drums) alongside virtuoso lead guitarist Mathieu Spaeter (Franck Carducci/Drifting Sun) and Jordan Brown (bass). Legendary Big Big Train drummer/vocalist Nick D’Virgilio also features as a guest vocalist on one track, Dust To Gold. MELANIE was mixed by Romesh Dodangoda (Motörhead, Bring Me The Horizon, Funeral for a Friend).
The album's title, MELANIE, stems from the title track on the album about a fictious alter ego. The record keeps a toe in the pop/rock world, but with both feet firmly planted in prog, the sweet spot for Prog Radio’s “melodic and accessible side of prog.” Prog Radio has been thrilled with the sizable amount of content we’ve been able to feature with strong female vocals (Rocking Horse Music Club, Imaginaerium, Solstice, Laura Piazzai, etc.), and Hayley fits perfectly with this emerging group of incredible prog singers. When you hear her sing, it will be clear this is a very experienced singers, and she’s take care and effort to put together a solid release.
The album will be released on January 20th, 2023, but you can currently hear select tracks in Prog Radio’s New Music rotation.