With her bold full-length debut album, “The Long Way Round,” Maya Delilah is officially entering her spotlight. The London-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist unveils the kind of record that’s as rich in emotion as it is in musical range, merging soul-pop roots with touches of blues, country, gospel, funk, and inarguable swagger.
Clocking in at under 46 minutes throughout 12 deeply intimate tracks, “The Long Way Round” is a diary of growth, heartbreak, identity, and self-discovery. Maya deftly contrasts her lush vocals and virtuosic guitar work with a genuine lyricism that provides listeners with intimacy and escapism from one song to the next. From the soft ache of “Man Of The House” to the jazzy, self-aware groove of “Maya, Maya, Maya,” every track feels raw, unfiltered, and filled with soul.
Maya’s genius is threading tenderness and lightness through expert arrangements. As with “Jeffery” and “Look At The State Of Me Now,” there’s clever storytelling layered over warm harmonies, while tracks like “Necklace” and “I’ll Be There In The Morning” tug at the heartstrings with cinematic grandeur. And just as you think you’ve pinned her down, she serves up a full-on funk-fueled moment or a gospel-tinged chorus to subvert expectations.
To mark this milestone, Maya is hitting the road with an in-store performance and signing tour to UK cities Leeds, Bristol, Brighton, London, Kingston, and Oxford, bringing the songs’ stories to life in the most personal ways. With “The Long Way Round,” Maya Delilah shows that she’s an artist to watch. This debut sings, supports, and lingers in your mind for a long.
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