It can be tricky when an artist known for some big collaborations steps out on their own. Their voice can be lost or overlooked, but not Hannah Ray, the singer known for collabs with Locnville and Mars Baby, makes her official debut with Letters I Never Sent. The seven-track project is sometimes sultry and sometimes sweet, but always vulnerable.
Exploring love in its complete journey from a giddy start to a messy ending, the project succeeds in showing Hannah Ray’s range. Tracks “Love” and “Wild and Free” give an air of mid-2000s pop anthems. The track amalgamates house, pop and R&B to create dancey bops that listeners can vibe with. These are contrasted by a much more stripped-back side of her artistry. “Crying Over You,” a soulful ballad is produced by Mars Baby, whose production and songwriting add to Ray’s strengths. A playful “whoo” from him as Ray enters the first chorus on “Crying Over You” feels like an audible stamp of approval for a great vocal performance throughout the project.
While she plays it safe on songs “Healing” and “I Need You”, whose simplicity stands out next to the genre fusion found elsewhere, Letters I Never Sent is far from being one-dimensional. Honest writing and an ebb and flow between different styles make the EP memorable. Tracks, “Losing My Mind” and “Whisky Love” mark themselves as potential earworms with solid, sticky choruses.
Hannah Ray puts her best foot forward in showing audiences who she is as an artist. The compelling songwriting, quality production, and incredible vocals leave a lasting impression. She has a voice of her own, and it’s a force to be reckoned with.
