A title worthy of her yellow and pink-hued optimistic view of taking on the world. Off of the re-release, the leading single, 'Roses', is pivotal in understanding Ray's music journey - and it's all based around her magical life that gives you lemons experiences in London.
Gretta Ray has often shared with fans how London has been where she has felt the most alive - personally and professionally. It's a city of fulfilment, and in this latest emotionally rich and heart-softening tune, 'Roses', you can hear and feel the sentiment. This is not the first time Ray has made a stripped-back track about a place being monumentally transformative, nor a heartfelt song about growing over the years ('Dear Seventeen' or 'The Cure'). Her song with Maisie Peters and Carol Ades' ‘America Forever’ concerns the difficulties and heartbreak of leaving a place that has brought unimaginable change.
While that track is about the ache of going and saying goodbye, this newer release is the opposite. Instead of the rumination of the sadness of leaving and gratitude for the experience, the 'Positive Spin +' track offers the eagerness and hope of stepping back into the city that sprinkles pizazz into your life.
Opening with what sounds like a synth being played in reverse, delicate pattering drum, and gentle bright piano chords create a sense of optimistic longing to be where you feel you belong. The backtrack is ideal; it's soft enough to allow Ray's voice to take control like a sunbeam and sweep you up into her memoir, which plays out like a hopeful letter to the future. With poignant lyrics about figuring out London, feeling unease about being away, and thinking about how each moment were seeds turning into “roses” to tend to later nurture.
"I will be making headway in good time. / Coming to love to board the Northern line. Taking in every moment as mine. / Taking everything I see as a sign".
The tune is the type of letter that we may write to a future version of ourselves that is 2, 5, or 10 years down to see if we're still aligned with the seeds we were keen to grow were planted in the suitable garden (city) with the ideal care, patience, and watering amounted to a flourishing garden of roses. Indeed, this song showcases Ray's talented penmanship and captivating faith in turning lemonade out of the lemons of uncertainty that life gives.
Tyra Baker
Image: ‘Positive Spin +’ Official Album Cover
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