Hayley Sales - Sunseed (CD)

All Music Guide

It might seem a bit reductive to call Hayley Sales a female Jack Johnson, but the barefoot in the sunshine vibe of the young singersongwriter's debut album is so in keeping with Johnson's laid back mellowness that the comparison is difficult to avoid. The first single "What You Want" is an easygoing shuffle for acoustic guitar and brushed drums, topped by Sales' kittenish vocal and personalempowerment lyrics, positively screaming for airplay on Adult Album Alternative radio stations and at organic food coops across North America. What keeps Sunseed from being merely coffeehouse fodder, however, is Sales' knack for melody and the relaxed charm of the simple but varied arrangements. (The 21yearold Sales, the daughter of a recording engineer, produced the album herself at her dad's home studio on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.) The wideeyed lyrics occasionally come off a bit clumsily, like the overworked metaphors of the opening "Jailcell Mind," but given Sales' relative youth, the o...ccasional misstep is forgivable, and at the album's best (the Suzanne Vegalike closer "Braille"), she makes up for the few faults. - Stewart Mason, All Music Guide Read more Less