Photo Credit: Rob Blackham
Words: Lauren Pine

British singer-songwriter Elles Bailey has been making her mark in the UK with her blues-sound and soulful, raspy voice. Now she is back with her latest album Can’t Take My Story Away, an impactful, honest record with an authentic groove-infused sound to it that, if you just close your eyes, transports you to a lively underground music bar, full of character. It makes you want to get up and join in the fun with the warmth that oozes from almost every song. 

Straight in with the title track, ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ is a powerful start to the album with soaring gritty vocals and a poignant message. Bailey sings “God knows you try / But you can’t take my story away”, acknowledging the hard times and finding the confidence to walk away from a bad situation. While she laments over those that have tried to bring her down, her commanding voice combined with an energetic blend of trumpets, guitars and percussion throw a punch, putting her on top. 

The second track ‘Growing Roots’, launches the listener into a groovy instrumental. The melodies, combined with the call and response of Bailey and a gospel-esque choir on the chorus, feels like it’s come straight from the 70s soul scene. Lyrically, it is “a love song about finding your person—the one who makes you want to set aside your gypsy heart and finally settle down,” Bailey says. “It’s about choosing to put down roots and to grow together but it is also about what that person teaches you, who you are when you’re with them, and the beauty of truly living in the moment.” The upbeat tone throughout the track certainly reflects this feeling, carrying a happy-go-lucky spirit.

This energy continues into ‘Better Days’, a song originally written by Matthew Evan Long, the singer, guitarist and songwriter for the award-winning band Catfish. After his tragic passing, his parents showed the song to Bailey who took it on to develop and share its positive message with the world. 

“I started inviting our friends to come and sing it with me,” she explains. “I felt like I wanted to bring a piece of him onstage with me, and it’s a beautiful song with a simple message that I think we need to hear.” The sentiment of the track is just what the title suggests, reminding those who need to hear it that better days are ahead.

‘Blessed’ and ‘Constant Need To Keep Going’ take a much calmer approach to the previous tracks, with fewer instruments and a softer vocal. ‘Blessed’ incorporates soothing strings as Bailey sings about being loved for “exactly who you are”. In ‘Constant Need To Keep Going’ she worries about her future, not knowing “where to go” despite an external pressure to stay positive, and keep moving.

On ‘Take A Step Back’, the album’s liveliness returns, with bright trumpets and groovy percussion accompanying her soulful vocals. The track feels very authentic, like you’re in the room, listening to them play, especially in the instrumental break in the second half of the song. Bailey repeats “you gotta take it baby” as the song draws to a close, before it reaches its final crescendo and she sings “you gotta take a step back” as the instruments fade out, leaving you energised and wanting more.

“How Do You Do It” is a slightly sultry yet still fun track, which leads perfectly into the successive “Angel”. Originally written as a ballad in 2023 when Bailey was in a low spot, “a depression caused in part by losing [her] voice and fearing [she’d] done some serious damage to it”, she later rediscovered the lyrics and recorded it with a whole new melody. With a strong brass section in its second half, suddenly you feel like you’re in a basement jazz bar, with dark ambient lighting and an air of smoke dancing across the room. It’s a perfect nod to blues and Motown, emulating artists like Janis Joplin and Dusty Springfield.

The closing three tracks are much more ballad-like, the first, ‘Dandelion’, describing a resilience against a “world of grief”. With a deep, reassuring vocal Bailey sings, “The desert only leads us through another way / To grow like dandelions in the dust”, comparing the way dandelions grow in the tough environments to the human ability to make it through the hardest of situations. 

‘Tightrope’ is a beautiful yet heartwrenching song stemming from her experience of mental health, describing it in a way that many can relate to. The track feels very raw and vulnerable, her voice cracking in places and elegant strings providing an additional layer of emotion. 

The final track, ‘Starling’ is a piano ballad stemming from the death of a close friend. Throughout the track Bailey questions what has happened, and remembers when they were still here, with the soft piano and strings carrying her through. The instrumentation and her vocals build up toward the end as she comes to terms with the loss and promises to “keep dreaming of” them. It is a heavy way to close out the album, but feels like a tribute to her friend and to her own strength, leaving a lasting impression on the listener. Can’t Take My Story Away achieves everything Bailey hoped it would, carrying a strong theme of “empowerment” and “deep-rooted honesty”. While many of the track’s themes are heavy, there is a sense of optimism running throughout, with lyrics that narrate her moving forward and sounds that feel uplifting. Above all, it cements Bailey as a master of her craft and a force to be reckoned with in the modern day blues landscape.