Chantel McGregor 'The Healing' album review: A cathartic rock album, with a blues soul.

Chantel McGregor is eager to clear one thing up surrounding her new album "The Healing isn't blues. It’s not blues". It's certainly a departure from what fans may be used to: With moody synths, seething vocals and dark guitar riffs, the new album is certainly rock, there's no doubt about that. However, if blues is all about emotion and feel, then sorry Chantel this album has it in spades.

Let's focus on the album's themes; the songs on 'The Healing' are often about love, loss, grief, heartache, and also giving hope that there is light at the end.  Venerable bluesman Walter Trout once said, "blues is not just about being sad, it’s also about overcoming hardships and setbacks in life.” The songs on the album focus on just that. It's also authentic, with Chantel drawing on autobiographical experiences in her writing for the album. You've got to admit the evidence for it being a blues album is strong and the album does have a blues heart and an angsty rock skin - but it's NOT a blues album - even though rock has its roots in blues...

Ok, so I'm splitting hairs and playing with semantics a bit, but this certainly is a shift in gear for Chanel. And yes, there's nothing remotely bluesy about this album in terms of tone and style.

Vulnerable yet strong, broken but determined. There’s a quiet confidence to her vocals on this album. Her guitar playing is gutsy and gives further power to her rueful. Think of Alanis Morrisette and Avril Lavigne at their most deep and personal, with a bit of Opeth and angsty Fleetwood Mac for good measure. Considering all those artists would have had bags of airplay when she was younger, it's unsurprising that those rockier-pop vibes come to the fore. Or perhaps it's just an evolution of Chantel as an artist. It's been ten years since her last release, and despite a relentless touring schedule, the world is a very different place; you wouldn't blame her for gravitating towards a musical comfort blanket and wrapping herself in comforting and familiar sounds.

Oil Brown and Wayne Proctor as co-writers and producers for the album, pay real attention to crafting rich cinematic soundscapes for the tracks. Opening track 'I Will Breath' hits hard with a wall of almost Bond-esque guitar sound, before the textures of the synths and the dreamy vocal reels you in. 'Broken Heartless Liar' reaffirms the gritty classic rock vibe of the album, with a belter of a track. 'Echoes' dips into prog-rock territory with layers of keyboards.

'Echoes' has a hypnotic rhythm and the restrained percussion make the song feel larger than life. That’s the skill of the production on 'The Healing', it enables these songs to sound like epic rock belters, when they are carefully crafted tapestries. 'The Truth Will Out' is where Chantel cuts loose with a darker vocal and equally angered percussion. It’s pretty measured, until the last part of the song when the prog elements combine with an unleashed vocal and primal screaming guitar.

'The Healing' is undeniably rock and unapologetically cathartic. It’s an album where Chantel really feels she’s found a sound that suits her as an artist. Will she change again? Who knows. But for now, 'The Healing' has given her the building blocks and strength as an artist. Let’s hope she doesn’t leave it another ten years.