”RESTORATION”: The act or process of returning something to it’s earlier good condition, position or to it’s owner…

…Or the debut album from English singer-songwriter RØRY, the artist name of Roxanne Emery. Emery, who you may know from her early dance music years, or the TikTok and Instagram page she has with her partner Richard Pink about ADHD, decided to take a new artist name called RØRY and released her debut album ”RESTORATION” on the 31st  of January.

”If pain could talk, what would it say?” Probably something very unkind or maybe even mean. In RØRY´s case the song starts with some noices and then a ´´sweet´´ voice warning her not to ignore her. Because when she does, it starts to yell at her. By using some growling voices. After two verses of screaming and yelling. We have the ´´sweet little´´´voice back for the outro which ends with the line: ”RØRY, this is the start of your story….”

And so the story starts with ”In The Bible”, starting with a phrase about God sending a fool to shame the wise. We hear some guitar riffs and then the first verse with a very melodic voice of RØRY, which swifts to a ”darker” voice in the pre chorus and back to a higher voice in the chorus singing about that not everything is lost or gone but still yours and that it can be restored. In the second verse we hear back the darker voice and the confession that she takes antidepressants and before that struggled with an alcohol addiction to numb the depression. By the end we hear the much higher voice that says: ”I know that hell’s real, I lived there for twenty years. I know that heaven”s real too, it’s right here”. Back to a second chorus with a beautiful bridge in which she gives the listener some hope that not everything is lost or broken.

We find one collab on this album and it is a very special on. ”hold on” is a collab between RØRY and Roxanne Emery. We have rap verses and a melodic chorus with two ”different” voices. The song feels like a conversation between two friends where one encourage the other to hold on because better days are coming. An absolute normal conversation which can also happen in real life. But remember that Emery and RØRY are the exact same person. Which gives the song a total different tone. It’s more like a conversation between the past and the present which by the end of the song emerge into one person.

After the merge from two different persons to one person. We can all watch RØRY ”BLOSSOM”. A lovely heavy metal song with some good guitar riffs and drum work. With a easy to catch chorus and catchy melody. This song will be a favorite for live crowds. The lyrics will be a hopeful message for anyone struggling with mental health issues but also a big shout out to people who try to get other people down on their knees. Because as RØRY sings: ”You  buried me alive and you left me there to die and now you’re gonna watch me”.

What is an album without a little ballad? Well, what about a ballad about the messed up world we live in at this very moment. ”MORALITY $UICIDE” is that ballad. Accompanied by heavy instrumental guitar riffs and drums. RØRY sings about the situations that are happening on this planet and put some serious question marks on decisions made by governements and big companies. She is not afraid to put a critical note and opinion in this song. I must admit, I think it is a very bold move to make a song about this topic and put it on your debut album. For me it shows that RØRY is not afraid of what other people think of her.

”The Atheist” which is the last song of this album. Is a goodbye letter to a person, the addiction, or maybe something else. While leaving the exactly topic unknown you can feel the pain she is carrying with her. Her voice is a bit raspy while she sings. This is a song you can play at a very hard volume while singing your lungs out. The song is called ”The Atheist”, so is it about the quest to start believing in God? By the end of the song we hear RØRY speaking about a phrase she heared when she woke up and how she clang onto it. While doing that, things started to change around her and how much joy came back into her life. She ends with the question: Was it a prophecy? Or something else which became true because she believed it. Or maybe is this called faith?

Whatever it was in the last sentence of the final song. I believe RØRY delivered a very good debut album and she made everyone very clear that she came back and she is definetely here to stay. By using different styles in every song and having very personal and outspoken lyrics she gives us a glimpse into her struggles from the past few years. I really recommend you to give the album a chance and listen to every song. Because I think we can expect many more from this talent woman. And this is just the beginning from the ”RESTORATION”.

Rating: 9/10

Release Date: 31^th January 2025
Label: SADCØRE Records

Writer: Milou

Tracklist:

1. if pain could talk, what would it say?
2. In The Bible
3. WOLVES
4. hold on
5. BLOSSOM
6. Sherlock Holmes
7. One Drink Away
8. MORALITY $UICIDE
9. SORRY I’M LATE
10. The Atheist