The listening experience behind ‘Terra Santa’ is incredibly brooding and vibrant, a slice of vintage-coded grittiness and haunting lyricism delivered by the evocative vocals of British creative Ashley Ray Simon. Packed with two original tracks and two edits, the EP shies away from pursuing trends and mainstream tropes, instead finding a worthy refuge in soulful and Americana territories, all with a great deal of rock’n’roll allure. That said, eclecticism is a common quality throughout the record, with gems such as ‘Running’ exhibiting an elegant and poignant orchestral livery.
Ashley Ray Simon captures the listeners’ attention almost instantly, thanks to a vocal tone that’s incredibly detailed and nuanced, capable of shifting from quaint intimacy to heartfelt boldness at a moment’s notice. What more could you wish for? Diving into ‘Terra Santa’, one can easily hear the wealth of musical experience that Simon has to offer. Now based in Portugal, the talented troubadour had to dig deep into the archives to find the songs making ‘Terra Santa’ so good. Part of a past artistic chapter, jewels such as ‘Fire’ are now given a newly-found sonic livery, also confirming their timeless quality.
An EP like ‘Terra Santa’ wouldn’t be what it is without a cast of equally talented musicians. Recorded live in Prague, the record seeks to capture the energy of a particular collective moment, aided by the elite musicianship of Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley) on drums and Rob Calder (Angus & Julia Stone) on bass. Producer Rohin Brown (Dope Lemon) helped Ashley Ray work towards a nostalgic, analogue gear-oriented process. The result is for everyone to enjoy: an EP that sounds both retro and contemporary, drenched in introspective energy and cathartic resolutions.
Recommended! Discover ‘Terra Santa’ now: