February 19th, Hayley Sales at The Plaza Club, Vancouver, Canada
As
Hayley Sales mixed island beats, with a hybrid of gentle pop-folk melodies,
her fans called out her name, formed a wave in the mosh pit, and were feeling
her music. Riding the success of her 2007 CD Sunseed, and the album’s
first single, “What You Want,” Sales, seemed to have her fans under a hypnotic
spell from the time she began strumming the strings of her acoustic guitar and
softly singing the words to,
“Jailcell Mind.”
On Tuesday, February 19th, her fans, in a sold out Plaza Club, in downtown Vancouver (Canada), sang the chorus to "What You Want," back to her, as they soaked up every vibe, danced to every groove, and enjoyed music, that just has a way of making you feel good about yourself and the person next to you.
In the last few years, the world has discovered the music of some fresh, creative, young artists, who have provided us with a laid back, upbeat perspective on the pop scene. First, we reveled in the music of Hawaiian-born, Jack Johnson, and then last summer we were introduced to a twenty-two year old Californian named Colbie Caillat, whose single “Bubbly,” rekindled warm and fanciful memories of being in love. About the same time Caillat was debuting her CD Coco, another west coast artist, this one from Canada, Hayley Sales, was turning heads with her single, “What You Want.”
Sales’ opts for bare fingers on the strings of her guitar, creating warm chords that flow easily, almost effortlessly from her instrument. Wearing a knitted grey hat, and earth tone sleeveless tank top, the singer/songwriter seemed to revel in the opportunity to play with her long bearded, ponytailed father Richard Sales, who sat to her right, playing an acoustic guitar. This was much more than a sentimental reunion, for the Sales family. The elder Sales is a regular in his daughter’s band, and he possess strong musical chops and credentials, of his own. He has produced, and / or engineered recordings for Miles Davis, Grammy Award winning Honey In The Rock, and the legendary guitarist John Fahey, whom Rolling Stone listed as the 35th greatest guitarist of all time. Richard Sales also produced his daughter Hayley’s two earlier albums, First Flite and Drifter, as well as mixing the current CD, Sunseed.
This night however, was not about Hayley Sales’ father, nor was it about the very gifted bass guitarist Darren Parris who flanked her on the left side, or the capable keeper of the beats, drummer Tim Tacket Brown. The night belonged to Hayley Sales, who demonstrated extraordinary stage presence and maintained a strong connection with her fans throughout her concert.
Sales, possesses a powerful voice, with great range. She passionately delivered the words to “Wished You Were Here,” and her soulful phrasing of the tune, “Too Much,” was breathtaking. Towards the end of her concert, she broke into two edgier tunes, and became a little grittier as she rocked out on “Let It Go.”
The singer’s voice was incredibly pretty as she sung, “I wish you were here / ‘Cause I just don’t think I’ll ever get over you,” (“Wished You Were Here”), and she was beautiful and ethereal when she performed the lines, “Once upon a time / The world was just a poet in a lover’s mind / Dreaming of love / It didn’t have no reasons / To build up walls and hide between them,” from her song “Traffic.”
She delighted the crowd with her lazy reggae flavored “All Roads To Jamaica,” that inspired even more of her fans to sway to the music, and she got funky on “Keep Drivin,” a hopeful missive for those whom life has slapped in the face.
Hayley Sales creates, sings and plays songs that are cut from everyday life. She is a throwback to songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Carly Simon, and James Taylor, but as a performer, she has defined a singing style and delivery that is hers alone.
Being at a Hayley Sales concert is a lot like what I imagine it must have been to experience those love festivals, back in the day, when I am told hippies roamed the urban streets and sold flowers on street corners. Sales’ fans loved her, and she sure exuded a lot of warmth towards them.
Reviewed by Joe Montague
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Reviewed February 19th, 2008
Riveting Riffs wishes to thank Live Nation for making it possible for us to review this Gig
