Can't Take My Story Away (Deluxe Edition)

In 2024, Bristol-born singer-songwriter Elles Bailey released Beneath the Neon Glow. A bona fide hit, it topped the jazz/blues albums chart and landed at 12 on Englands general album charts. Following such an achievement can be daunting, but Cant Take My Story Away attempts and succeeds at delivering a record that celebrates her strengths and pursues hip, rootsy directions. It was produced by Luke Potashnick, who plays guitar on the set; he hired a cast of studio aces for the sessions that include a horn section and a string quartet. Bailey co-wrote ten of its 11 songs, most with Potashnick. That said, the origins of some tracks date back a decade. The title track opener is a personal manifesto set in a breakup song drenched in soul and R&B, complete with a B-3, horns (played by saxophonist Iain Ballamy, his son, trumpeter Charlie Ballamy, trumpeter Neal Sugarman), and a stirring backing chorus. Baileys trademark gritty vocal is in excellent empowerment form. Its followed by the funky soul single "Growing Roots," a love song with a spine-slipping backbeat and bassline, swelling B-3, chunky electric piano, Potashnicks guitars, and Ethan Johns drums; horns punctuate the backdrop. "Better Days," (another single) is a swinging R&B anthem and the only tune not credited to Bailey. was written demo by Catfish singer Matt Long, who passed away in 2025. Bailey received it from his parents; her studio gang covered it in tribute with thundering kick drums and tom-toms, tight guitar licks, and a mountain of groove. "Blessed" slows things down. A gritty country-soul tune, its framed by strings, gospelized backing voices, drums, and a skeletal bassline. "Take a Step Back" is a soul-drenched rocker with syncopated drums in a fast mambo backbeat, wailing B-3, and electric piano. Bailey and her backing singers deliver it as a celebration. "How Do You Do It" uses a fingerpopping NOLA R&B-style backbeat as Bailey engages in call and response with her chorus. "Angel" is a choogling blues-rocker with funky horns and a killer vocal by Bailey as she supports her subject: "Whenever youre lost to the darkness, Ill be your angel. We all have times when we get so afraid..." The album winds to its conclusion with the ballads "Dandelion," "Tightrope," and "Starling." The latter two directly engage gospel similar to the way, in an earlier era, Leon Russell employed it in "Stranger in a Strange Land." Cant Take My Story Away, Baileys second album for Cooking Vinyl, is a very different recording than Beneath the Neon Glow in both content and production. Its kinetic and raw-hewn; it sounds live. The playing is inspired, woolly, and passionate enough to support the singers powerful delivery. She soars to meet them, and digs every ounce of emotion from her lyrics, communicating directly, honestly, and powerfully to listeners. With its highly developed songwriting, excellent vocal performances, and rootsy production style that support and showcase both albums, Cant Take My Story Away is a career-defining album. ~ Thom Jurek