Ashley Riley - Through the Thin (2016)

The 13-song collection, due out April 8, 2016, finds Riley a bit stronger and wiser than before, her down-to-the-bone vulnerability wrapped up in a cozy, warm blanket. The gritty, rootsy moments that garnered favorable comparisons to Patty Griffin and Stevie Nicks remain, backed by lush instrumentation that incorporates genres such as indie rock and pop into her folk niche. “This album really encompasses everything that I do, from the really slow ballads to full on rock songs,” says Riley. The album is rife with songs about holding on and letting go, giving in and giving up, and the peace that comes from coming out on the other side.
The recording of Through the Thin began in spring of 2014 when Riley and the band participated in a program at The Blackbird Academy in Nashville for future recording engineers. There, they were recorded by the students who were instructed by teachers at the school. “We were pretty ambitious with that class and took five songs to track and we ended up with four that made the cut for the album,” says Riley. “The rest of the potential album tracks—which totaled 22 by the time we’d finished—were recorded here at home in Decatur in the fall and winter of 2015 by Matt Comerford (bass player in the band) and produced by myself and the band. Of those 22, 13 made the cut for the album.” Joining Riley and Comerford in the studio were Tyler Bundy (lead guitar) and Ian Grindstaff (drums).
Riley has been a staple in the music scene of her hometown Decatur, IL, where she got her start hosting open mics in 2008, helping to revitalize and nurture the underground singer-songwriter scene in town. After starting as an acoustic-based songwriter on her first record, Riley realized by her second album that her songs begged for a band, and her next two albums got the full band treatment, to glowing reviews. New Noise Magazine called her “one of the best obscure female artists I've heard in, well, ever,” and In- Forty.com declared her a “female songstress everyone would be wise to spend time with.” Women of Substance Radio noted: “Ashley's songs have an ethereal and delicate quality… Her reverence for Americana artists like Neil Young and Patty Griffin is unmistakable. She pens lyrics that are unsettling and sometimes even disturbing, as all good lyrics should be.” Illinois Entertainer trumpeted: “Make no mistake, Ashley Riley has an utterly gorgeous voice and a sound all her own.” Seven of the nine songs on her third album, All the Pretty Things, can be heard in rotation on Starbucks in-store airplay. Bridging the gap between All The Pretty Things in early 2014 and the forthcoming album, Riley released a single and video, “See You Around,” later in 2014. (The track was recorded as part of the recording session at The Blackbird Academy in Nashville.)
Her latest offering, Through the Thin, showcases her signature delicate-then-soaring vocals and clever storytelling. Riley is able to build an intimacy with the listener, inviting them into the songs and on a journey through the thin with her.

TRACKLIST

1. Times
2. Out to Sea
3. Days Like This
4. Let Go
5. Honest
6. This Town
7. See You Around
8. Potion
9. Misery
10. This Is Not
11. Stay
12. Sing for Me