Before Anneliese Grant was captivating us with her incredible vocals in The Folly, the singer/songwriter was performing on her own and after a two-year break, she’s come back with a new EP, Out to Graze.
The five-track album showcases her talent and is a bit of a different direction than The Folly’s sound. This will mark Grant’s third solo release, a follow-up to 2015’s Soul Spectrum.
Grant said Out to Graze, which is also the title of the third track on the EP, was inspired by her time spent on a horse farm during a job transition.
“This idea of frustration with not having done any solo projects in so long and this feeling like I’ve been put out to pasture, like there’s nothing happening, that was the meaning behind it,” Grant said.
The title track “Out to Graze”, which is one of my favorites, very jazzy and smooth and Grant’s voice just glides over the beat, dropped Dec. 2 and the rest was fleshed out in March.
“The rest of the songs as they were coming together, had a very similar sound to that track and it kind of was the thing that got the project going,” she said.
Grant recorded the album in April, putting it together entirely in her room.
“I have this closet studio literally, I do everything in there and it’s nicer than having to find a third party to go record with so that streamlined my process a lot,” she said.
The beats were made by Matthew Rea (Jame Moorfield), a local producer and house music DJ. Grant released the album May 1.
Out to Graze is very different from The Folly’s sound, which tends to blend several genres together. The RVA band consists of Grant, along with Jordan Lette (vocals,guitar), Johnny Powell(bass), Josh Santamaria (drums), and Sid Kingsley(keys) who put out their debut self-titled album back in September and it’s a nice mix of gypsy and jazz sounds, with a little whimsical folk thrown in.
“I started my solo project before I ever met Jordan, that’s actually how he found out about me was finding my music online,” she said. “This EP is really different from the first two EPs I put out and it was a much different process.”
Grant’s solo EP has a bluesy, groovy pop vibe, but one element that’s unmistakable among the two projects is the singer’s powerhouse sultry vocals. Grant delivers in The Folly as well as on Out To Graze and it shows her effort and passion are definitely in both projects as a solo artist and band member.
“I’ve always loved jazz, it’s my favorite kind of music to sing, but definitely more {of a} pop vibe,” said Grant describing her solo work.
It’s hard to pick a favorite on the record, they are all good to grove to on a nice breezy summer day, but “Darling, Darling” and the title track are definitely ones to check out.
Ozark, a member of Satellite Syndicate is also featured on the album with a remix to “Out to Graze”.
Grant will perform her new EP in its entirety tonight at Cary St. Café for her release show. You can also catch her June 4 on WRIR from 1 am to 3 am and at Everybody’s Birthday, a music festival in Amherst, Va. on June 10.
Photo credit: Jason Pevey
