New Artist Review: Emma ~ “A Reason to Stay up All Night”

What I am generally hearing here is something religious and humorous and witty. The piano style on the whole sounds like something heard in a parlor of the American West. There is a sense of longing and wanting to belong to something specific, but as to what that something is exactly is rather difficult to decipher. The melodic lines are rather easy to follow and the voice is natural and soft and suits the general mood of the record nicely. In other places the piano work is highly expressive and moody, perhaps not dissimilar to some of the more so quieter moments by Beethoven. There are instances in which the vocal work reminds one of Nick Drake, in short: Perfect rainy day music. However, the artist does not seem to give into any real sense of depression, as a certain highly literary humor is very obvious in the lyrical content. The lyrics themselves are not out of place, as they are finely edited on the whole and often repeat their themes.

The elements that remind me of Baroque era Classical are quite pleasing due to the sense of drama that enters the picture, like on “Pet (Helen’s Lament)” which is track three on the album. However, things are given a modern twist after the introduction and the lyrics seem to inform me that the song is possibly about the unique and loving perspective of a dog? I am reminded of the sassy Nellie McKay in places, and like her, these songs seem to belong to a different time and place and coming decidedly from an old soul. Elements of Classical can be heard again on “Stay with Me Tonight,” which is track four on the album. Some of the collective atmospherics contained on the various pieces of instrumentation are rather familiar to something heard on a film soundtrack, and one does tend to see a film playing in their head with music of this variety. Perhaps not quite as gut wrenching as some of the more potent material by Van Morrison, but if you are in the mood for a Singer/Songwriter with a decidedly Jazzy approach on the whole, I suggest giving it a shot and let the mood of the music take over…

For more information on this artist, please visit her official site:

www.iamemma.com