I vividly remember her voice when it came into my earbuds. I’m not sure how Guilty was suggested, but it was the first song that introduced me to Lady Wray. I soon became obsessed with soul music. How can a contemporary song feel so old? Not “old” as in stale but old as in ripely bursting with sound and transporting the listener to another period. Lady Wray’s sound encapsulates time. After listening to her single Guilty, I knew I had to listen and learn more about her artistry.
Nicole Wray or better known as Lady Wray grew up in a family that embraced music. According to interviews, Nicole was raised with gospel and rock music influences. At just 17, Nicole recorded her hit single Make It Hot with Missy Elliot. Although Nicole’s talent was undisputed, there was a lack of direction and support from her labels. Thus began a long journey of going from label to label until she finally found her sound: Soul.
As mentioned before, she was heavily influenced by gospel and rock & roll. I must admit, I did not grow up with soul music. I am a new fan of this genre. From the little background that I have, Soul music is rooted in both R&B and Gospel music. After years of Nicole writing and recording R&B music and Rock music, she decided to try soul music. Her incredible career in songwriting and singing spans genres and it is a testament to her cultivated talent.
With the context of Lady Wray’s career and upbringing, I listened to her album Piece Of Me. This new project was released on January 28th, 2022. Overall, this album was a cohesive project with themes around love, relationships, and perseverance. Let’s dig into each song.
I Do sets the tone of the album. The song is strong and bold. She talks about struggles within a relationship and how love can conquer challenges. There are amazing background and lead vocals and brass and bass instrumental sounds. I was hooked on this great catchy chorus. The song left me eager to listen to the rest of the album.
Next, we have Through It All. This song gives off the sound of a listener driving in an old car. The chipmunk vocals are reminiscent of the young Kanye West’s chipmunk soul. Funny how the title is almost like Through the Wire.
I first heard Piece Of Me while watching her BET interview about her musical career. In this song, she candidly sings about outgrowing people in her life. She also highlights that we should not give others more than what we can manage. Others are not entitled to a “piece” of us. She explains the importance of being secure with ourselves and being at peace when people who want more leave our lives. This song is meaningful and riddled with so much wisdom. We all give pieces of ourselves with each interaction.
Come On In starts the song with amazing drums. The song has a nice touch with the piano and a great outro. The song almost sounds like a sexy gospel song. It’s almost as if she’s telling the Lord or a lover to come on in. I am not sure if this dual meaning was intentional. The intermingling of religion and love is interesting because she talks in interviews about being involved in church growing up.
The track Under The Sun gives off Sunday vibes. The kind of Sunday where you drive to the supermarket and rethink life. When I initially listened to the song, the background “dadada” and “ahhhhahhahhh” feels like a loop. To me, this loop feeling gave off the mood of feeling stuck or blocked from living that perfect life under the sun. After watching the music video, the song is more positive than I initially thought. The song is about triumph and enjoying all of life’s luxuries. Maybe the darker meaning I initially gathered from the song is a testament to her past struggles to get to where she is today. Wray made a lot of career changes and worked hard to enjoy her life Under The Sun. In the music video, she is driving a convertible while the wind blows in her face. She is enjoying life at the moment and sunbathing in luxury clothes. The music video confirms that this song does indeed emit Sunday drive vibes.
Where were you is a diss track to all the people that abandoned her during hard times. During my first listen, the song sounded mournful. She recalls hard times and being betrayed by people. I loved those distorted electric guitar sounds. The guitars sounded triumphant but also a bit harsh. This contrast of sounds parallels how she rose above hard times but dealt with people turning their backs. The guitar accompanies the song with a bittersweet sound that makes the song sound bold. The sequencing of this song seems very intentional. She placed this song right after Under the Sun. The people that did not support her are now watching her rise to fame. While she is enjoying her own life Under The Sun, they are attempting to come back into her life and take a piece of her.
Where were you is a diss track to all the people that abandoned her during hard times. During my first listen, the song sounded mournful. She recalls hard times and being betrayed by people. I loved those distorted electric guitar sounds. The guitars sounded triumphant but also a bit harsh. This contrast of sounds parallels how she rose above hard times but dealt with people turning their backs. The guitar accompanies the song with a bittersweet sound that makes the song sound bold. The sequencing of this song seems very intentional. She placed this song right after Under the Sun. The people that did not support her are now watching her rise to fame. While she is enjoying her own life Under The Sun, they are attempting to come back into her life and take a piece of her.
Next, we have Games People Play. Wray reminisces on past relationships and how different people have done her dirty in the past. I love the brass instruments used in the track. The drums remind me of Tyler the Creator’s Okaga, CA instrumental.
The song Melody is raw and minimalistic. Wray bares her soul in the song by highlighting the loving bond between mother and daughter. After looking through Wray’s Instagram, I realized that Melody Bloom is her daughter. The song features her daughter and the title of the track is named after Melody. This song is an homage to her daughter and explains her name.
Thank You sounds like a gospel song mostly because of its use of the choir singing Thank You in parts of the song and the piano. I’m not sure why but this song reminded me of Lean on Me by Bill Withers. I’m not sure if that was intentional or just an inspiration. The song is just about gratitude. She’s thankful for many things in life: God and Wray’s supporters. I was confused about the sequencing of the song. Why is this song not at the end of the album? Although it is predictable to add Thank You at the very end, it is logical. It has also has been done many times by other artists like FKA Twigs in the album Caprisongs.
Joy & Pain also sounds like a song that ends an album but it’s not. The song describes the peaks and lows of a tumultuous relationship. The piano run is beautiful and characterizes the feeling of going up and down a relationship rollercoaster.
Storms was a sexy song about a relationship. I didn’t think it was a strong end to the album. Nathan Zed said it best: the last song should be packed with a punch. It should impactful and make the listener replay the album again. I think another song should have been picked for the last song – but that is only my irrelevant opinion.
Ultimately, I enjoyed listening to Lady Wray’s newest album. Lady Wray bares her soul in the album. She is vulnerable explaining her hardships and triumphs. Her values shine through as she honors her daughter, father, and her faith. Her talent for songwriting and singing is undeniable. I’m excited to hear more music and see her live. She’s performing in San Francisco on April 6th, 2022 with Brainstory. Maybe I’ll risk my sleep schedule and see her live to appreciate her body of work!