Review: Lady Wray – Piece of Me

Lady Wray
Piece of Me

Released by Big Crown Records
Street: 01.28
Lady Wray = Alicia Keys x Savannah Cristina

Lady Wray is giving you permission to open up every part of yourself to the possibility of love and all the storms that come with it. She has turned up her dosage of soul with Piece of Me but has still stayed true to her foundation in R&B. If you’ve been holding back and tightening up, Piece of Me is the album for you to listen, loosen up and sway to. 

The first two songs are a soulful dedication to the gratitude we hold for that partner who makes you feel a way you didn’t before. This includes my favorite song, “Through it All.” The next couple are anthems that take listeners to that stage in our relationships where we are lucid enough to remember to celebrate vulnerability. This is where Lady Wray invites listeners to feel how good it is to stay wise and let it all in, with keen lyrics such as, “I let you take a piece of me / I hope you get the piece you need.” 

My next favorite is “Where Were You,” which has more upbeat drums and bassline. The theme here takes a shift deeper into blues, moving listeners to take their opened-up souls and join Lady Wray in holding each other to our highest selves, especially our lovers. Her lyrics remain profound in her ability to cry out in yearning expression while also holding herself just as high: “Where were you when I was sleeping in cars / when I should have been reaching for stars.”

Lady Wray features her father, Kenneth Wray Sr., on “Beauty in the Fire,” another beautiful ballad that continues to keep our inner fire expressed and visible. The other feature on her album is on “Melody” with Melody Bloom Bacote, a simple love song that keeps listeners from hiding those feelings that can be difficult to put into words. This song starts the album’s journey back to slowing things down a bit, closing out with tracks of self acknowledgement we are always neglecting to give ourselves. 

Lady Wray has successfully taken a bigger dive into her own unique style of playing with what’s possible in deep soul and R&B. Piece of Me is different from recent R&B releases that hold themes of letting go; Piece of Me holds a theme of letting in and being grateful for it before releasing what no longer serves. –Kelly Fernandez