Melissa James

Melissa James is a singer-songwriter whose music combines soul, pop, R&B, blues, folk and jazz. She is known for a warm, velvety vocal style and for songs that move between soulful-pop, gospel-tinged material, country and folk influences, and more stripped-back, reflective writing.

Background

James begins singing seriously while at university. She listens closely to recordings by Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, and also studies the songwriting of Joni Mitchell. She later develops her performance experience through a Sunday night jam, where she puts into practice what she learns. Encouraged by her vocal coach to start writing songs, she is put in touch through an advertisement with her writing partner Ross Lorraine.

James and Lorraine quickly complete three songs together, including I Miss You, which becomes one of their strongest collaborations. She describes the song as arriving quickly in terms of lyrics, melody and some harmony ideas, and regards it as the point when she realises they can work well as a partnership.

Day Dawns

Day Dawns is her debut album. It is a 13-track release that brings together varied material unified by her soulful vocal delivery. The record includes songs shaped by the different strands of her musical taste, including Little Caged Bird, a catchy soulful-pop song about a bird realising its dream; I Need You Here, a soulful and gospel-tinged song about missing a lost love; and Long Road Travelled, which draws on country and folk influences to describe a journey of self-discovery.

The album also includes a version of Eric Bibb’s Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down, one of two covers on the record. James’s own writing and her interpretive work are both presented as central to the album’s character.

Performance and reception

Before and around the release of Day Dawns, James builds a reputation through live shows and attracts a steady following. Her singing is described as earthy and soulful, with performances that place emphasis on vocal warmth and emotional range. Tom Robinson of BBC 6Music singles out I Need You Here as a strong example of her work, and another review describes the album as containing a wide range of moods and emotions within a classic singer’s style.