Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
We can strive for perfection, but in that pursuit, we often overlook the details that make the journey worthwhile. Being flawless is admirable but it is often shrouded in untethered pride. The Weight of Hope that we look to is what keeps our imagination on track, the accomplishment in the quest to deliver something that others can aspire to recreate a far better option in which confidence and courage will be seen to invigorate the organic and the natural sound we really desire.
It is in the desire of Hayley Ross to discuss the ideal of comfort, to allude to wellbeing rather than stress, that even in the attention to detail that she marvellously brings to the album, there is still room for the listener to understand that over polishing an emotion can lead to negative thoughts of attaining peace, of being held hostage to a virtue that is neither real, nor valued.
The Weight of Hope is what keeps us going, it reminds us that not everything in life comes with instant gratification, that the pursuit of flawlessness, once realised is a bind to which we suffer if we should fail to keep up the illusion of greatness.
It is in this direct thought that Hayley Ross takes songs such as Moving All Around, Barracuda, Lay Me Down, Jangled and the album closer of Spartan Heart and gives the space to breathe, to unwind and be seen as enhancing the concept of disfigured brilliance, that the cracks she places are those, as she writes so elegantly, that let the light in.
To embrace the feeling of never-ending exploration, Hayley Ross leads in with this debut album and gives the listener that one defining presence of mind, that she implores wilfully and with fierce determination, hope. Hope is that which spurs us on, which gives our lives meaning, we instinctively know that we might never reach our version of perfection, but whilst we continue to see the imperfections that make us unique, we have always the faith we will see a dream or two come true.
Hayley Ross releases The Weight of Hope on September 6th.
Ian D. Hall