Lesley Roley has the rare gift of transporting an audience away from its daily troubles, into a calmer, more innocent place. In her songs, folk styles merge with pop music, blues and jazz, as seen to memorable effect on her startlingly original treatment of Björk’s classic “Hyperballad”. Lesley’s own compositions can be heart-rendingly poignant (“Missing“, the brand-new “Too Bad”) or hilariously vituperative (“Mr Sad”). All of these are delivered on-stage with a beguiling poise and humour. No wonder she enchanted sold-out audiences at the Sage Gateshead and the Warwick Arts Centre when she played there in November in support of firstly, the young acoustic genius John Smith, then the legendary jazz chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux. All available c.d’s were sold-out as listeners demanded more of the sweetly narcotic effect of Lesley’s pure, unaffected vocals. Lesley has indeed been getting the recognition she deserves recently. Her’s was the “Demo of the Month” in NARC magazine in November, evidence that her recorded sound is being polished and refined through classic songwriting and subtle arrangements. The future is a bright for this young Newcastle-based star who has been drawn to the attention of a larger audience through, not only her triumphant Northern shows, but also a successful A&R showcase gig in Notting Hill. Growing news of Lesley’s talent led to her being invited to tour Britain and Ireland in the spring of 2010 with no less a figure than Don “American Pie” McLean. Lesley acquired a new army of followers en route with a series of mature performances in some of the UK’s finest venues, including the world-famous Royal Albert Hall. The Newcastle Journal indeed compared her Sage Gateshead performance favourably with that of the American great, remarking upon Lesley’s “extraordinarily pure and crystal clear voice” whilst The Bournemouth Echo described Lesley as both “excellent and amusing”. After the regular sell-outs of her first and second E.P, her third, due for release in Summer 2011, is awaited with great interest.
