Gemma Ray is an English singer/guitarist working out of Berlin who's been around since 2008 and has been fairly prolific. The signature sound in her diverse discography has to be that twangy tremolo on her hollow body electric guitar with a whammy bar that has almost become the centerpiece of her career. That's where she goes when she's going on a folk or country run, or taking a turn to the blues or going all in for good old-fashioned rockabilly or taking it a notch or two down for some plain ballad. She's done them all and she's done them well. Being a strong songwriter, she is able to put her own stamp on whatever style she is working in. Her music evokes the same sense of vastness that one gets from the dusty landscapes of Sergio Leone westerns and her vocals can be reminiscent of a young PJ Harvey at times. She expands into electronic music in her 2023 album Gemma Ray & the Death Bell Gang.
Lee Hazelwood, Marissa Nadler, Vera Sola, PJ Harvey