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2026 is an important year for Bristol-based singer/songwriter Elles Bailey. The stars have been aligning for some time now, thanks to the impressive momentum that the likeable Bailey has built up. BBC Radio are on board – still a crucial ally to have on your side – and the mainstream press are starting to catch on. 2025 saw a seismic shift in exposure, thanks to live dates as special guest of multi-platinum selling UK artist Rag’n’Bone Man, and there might just have been some pressure on Elles to release this album during the latter stages of last year to capitalise on said exposure. Thankfully, Elles resisted any temptation to release her fifth studio album during a jam-packed Q4 and instead let things simmer gently with a multitude of well-received singles until a new year arrived. Voila. ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ lands a few days before Monday, 19th January, the most depressing day of the year apparently, meaning that these dark, desolate times will be anything but blue for, oh, 45 minutes and 38 seconds.
What’s interesting about ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ is that the album was created over the course of three years, utilizing songs whose origins can be traced back almost ten years. Interesting in that although Bailey, along with producer (and The Temperance Movement guitarist) Luke Potashnick, must have revisited the album many times throughout those three years, it still feels like it was cooked up during a few late-night sessions at some Laurel Canyon recording studio with all the players in the room at the same time. Especially the majestic ‘Growing Roots’, which is crying out for someone to create an AI video of Elles performing the song in Joni Mitchell’s front room with the likes of Carole King, Carly Simon, Joan Baez, and Linda Ronstadt, all joining in.
Same with the equally majestic ‘Better Days’, which would have found the perfect home nestled in a classic Mike Nichols movie. This is Elles paying tribute to her late friend, Matt Long of UK Blues outfit Catfish, who sadly passed away in October 2024 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. After he passed, Matt’s parents showed Elles a song that he’d written, ‘Better Days’, and as she explains, “I started inviting our friends to come and sing it with me…I felt like I wanted to bring a piece of him onstage with me, and it’s a beautiful song with a simple message that I think we need to hear.” Such a hopeful and uplifting few minutes with especially poignant lyrics: “Tell me darling, why you lookin’ so blue?/Won’t you dry those tears now honey?/You got your whole life ahead of you.” A song with all the hallmarks of a classic, including a ridiculously catchy Dickey Betts-like guitar tone.
‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ is a natural progression from its predecessor, 2024’s ‘Beneath the Neon Glow’. It’s less polished and feels more organic, and at times, grittier. So much here to marvel over: the title track for one, with a cool, finger-clicking Motown swinging vibe to it; the delightfully delicate ‘Blessed’, which is going to be a show-stopper when performed live; the gorgeous percussion to be found on ‘Constant Need to Keep Going’; the soulful groove-filled ‘Angel’, which is full of sass and attitude; and the closing trio of ‘Dandelion’, ‘Tightrope’ and ‘Starling’ has Bailey saving the best for last.
‘Beneath the Neon Glow’ ended with the stunning stripped-back tones of ‘Turn off the News’, and Elles repeats this here with ‘Starling’. Spellbinding from start-to-finish with a gorgeous, gradual build, it’s arguably her finest few minutes to date. A stunning example of stopping the listener in their tracks and demanding that they sit up and pay attention. Had a certain Ms. Adkins released this, then it would have been a gazillion-selling hit single.
‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ is, in every aspect, a tour-de-force album from Elles Bailey. Those incoming setlist headaches, though, don’t envy her those.
Available January 16th via Cooking Vinyl and Outlaw Music. Purchase information, HERE.
Review – Dave
All images – Rob Blackham
Elles Bailey plays the following UK & EU dates:
Instore Shows:
January
Fri 16th London, Rough Trade West
Sat 17th Oxford, Truck
Sat 17th Leamington Spa, Temperance
Sun 18th Leeds, Vinyl Whistle
Sun 18th Liverpool, Jacaranda
Mon 19th Bury, Wax & Beans
Tue 20th Nottingham, Rough Trade
Wed 21st Southampton, Vinilo
Wed 21st Brighton, Resident
Thu 22nd Marlborough, St Peters Church
Headline Tour:
February
Fri 20th Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
Sat 21st Munich, Ampere
Sun 22nd Nuremberg, Hirsch
Mon 23rd Aschaffenburg, Colas-Saal
March
Thu 19th London, Islington Assembly Hall
Fri 20th Warwick, Arts Centre
Sat 21st Bristol, Electric
Tue 24th Manchester, Band on the Wall
Wed 25th Glasgow, St Luke’s
Thu 26th Gateshead, Glasshouse 2
Fri 27th Holmfirth, Picturedrome
Ticket information, HERE.
