It could be said that it all started when two of her songs were named finalists in the Prestigious John John Lennon International Songwriting Contest, or perhaps when Cage The Elephant’s Lincoln Parrish took her under his wing. It could just as easily be said that it all began the day she was born: The Musical whirlwind that is Peyton Gilliland.

Flourishing from the green and exuberant gardens of pop music, Peyton incorporates a lot of the energy and attitude (and quite a bit of the sound too) from the Rock music that made her formative years kick ass, something that Parrish of course plays up with his own contribution to her ongoing project.

Peyton’s Pop-Rock Journey took a dark turn recently -dark in a good way though- with the piping hot-off-the-oven single “Devil’s Daughter” (featuring Josh Nichols) and an accompanying music video that plays up every macabre visual trope it can to heighten the listening experience with a chilling fever dream.

She often Sings about love, showing herself to be a once-or-twice bitten romantic that simply cannot be shy, even though she puts on a glamorous mask of acerbic wit with her lyrics, you can tell that she’s not at all a cynic, relishing every opportunity lay down hard-hitting verses that play on the listener’s own sentimental lives. “Devil’s Daughter” is no exception, with lines like “I fall back to those bad, bad habits/Can’t help I’m infatuated” she seems to praise the mess that two people can create for each other when there’s wild attraction and less-than-pure intentions on the table.

From where I’m sitting, as I appreciate this song, I find myself flip-flopping between interpretations. I’m imagining this is a Seductress’ confession, warning me I should think twice before I tumble like a toy in her snares, but there are more than enough hints in here to say that this is also a different kind of disclaimer, like a warning for a sentimental firewall that she put on to ward off the bad stuff she’s already experienced -Peyton threatens to burn both parties in the event of fallout it seems. She says quite a bit in a modest few lines, and a lot of what she says stimulates your imagination beyond whatever concrete meaning and intention you can derive from a face-value reading, and this is why she’s so often praised for her refined songwriting.

Apart from the fantastically catchy riff and awesome lyrics, I think Peyton’s singing really takes the cake with this one. She has a really imposing vocal capacity with a smokey Motown Chanteuse timbre, and it’s absolutely lethal in this track, hitting every high note just right, and quickening your pulse as she imbues the lyrics with the tumultuous passion and sensuality that they demand. Big props to R&B crooner Josh Nichols not only for complementing Peyton, but for showing off his own prowess in such a brief but crucial moment in the song. Please work together again!

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