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Artist
Emma-Lee
12+ albums
folkjazzsinger-songwriterindiefemale vocalists
about
It’s been a long wait since the release of Emma-Lee’s acclaimed 2009 debut, Never Just A Dream, but the longest journey often yields the most rewarding arrival. Backseat Heroine marks a brave turning point in the road for an artist once pegged a jazz-pop chanteuse. Three years of touring and songwriting will lead to inevitable growth, knowledge and direction as is proven in Emma-Lee’s sophomore record. Her voice, once described by No Depression as “powerful and fragile at the same time, with a range and ability to dive around the notes that would make kd lang jealous” is still the star of the show. On barn burners like “Not Coming By” and “Shadow of a Ghost” she growls with a swagger and confidence not heard on any of her previous work. Instead of earlier comparisons to Feist and Norah Jones, names like Bonnie Raitt, Grace Potter and even Adele began to echo in the crowds of those shows that nurtured her re-invention. But her voice has always been just the bait – it’s her songs that hook you. Her decision to collaborate on a handful of the albums’ tracks resulted in some of her most emotional writing yet. The aches and swells of the cinematic title track “Backseat Heroine” (co-written with Nicole Atkins) and the almost painfully intimate final cut “I Could Live With Dying Tonight” (co-written with Jill Barber) showcase the startling strength of her vulnerability. “I really only discovered the potential of co-writing on this album. I was hesitant to open myself up so much in
