I am a product of the 80’s. As a result, I was exposed to the birth/rise of Hip-Hop, the rise of the Power Ballad, Hair Metal Bands, Pop, R&B and Rock music. Additionally, Ranchera music was always playing somewhere in the house. Mexican Ranchera singer Vicente Fernandez provided me with the soundtrack to my childhood. Why do I bring this up? I’ll answer that question by posing another.
What happens when you blend Classical/Jazz/Pop/Rap/Funk? The answer is a kind of style not heard anywhere! Who is making this type of music? Answer: Emily Wells. Much like any music fan, we generally don’t stick to one musical genre, we generally go from one to another. Emily Wells is no different to many of us. She was raised exposed to several different types of genres. Growing up, her house was filled with music. She sang a lot, played the french horn, and listened to the symphony, while playing with youth orchestras, church choirs and xylophones. So much like us, she listened to a mixed bag of musical genres, the only difference between her and us is that she is fusing these genres into a style not heard anywhere!
Emily started her love affair with music at a young age. She recalls listening to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” as the first record she had ever heard. Emily is an accomplished violinist, which is made apparent to the listener, as she incorporates the violin in almost all of her tracks. But I’m not mad at her, her records have a classy, yet dark sound that sends the listener on a musical journey through clever lyrics and a singing style that has you yearning for more.
I discovered Emily’s music only a few weeks ago, and shame on me! I quickly ran out and purchased her album, “The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties,” and it has not stopped playing in my car ever since! What I love most is the way she delivers the music. She doesn’t sing, yet she doesn’t rap either. Much like her music, her singing style is a hybrid, brilliantly blending sounds that have no business being blended.
Every song on her album is a masterpiece! It is hard writing about this talented musician because I am so into her music right now! I just can’t get enough of it! But, if you like her albums, then seeing her live is a real treat. Much like Imogen Heap, Howie Day and Joseph Arthur, Emily is a one man band, and she is awesome. Admittedly, I haven’t seen her perform, but through the magic of the internet, I feel like I’ve seen her in concert thousands of times.
Emily recently released the Ep “Dirty.” It is a filled with new remixes and some new tracks. The most notable being the cover of Notorious BIG’s “Juicy.” Covering famous songs seems to be en vogue nowadays. I’m not always a fan of covers, especially of rap ones. I must admit that I love Emily’s version. Now I will admit that I am digging her style, but she re-worked the track to fit her unique style. It is definitely a great reason to buy the Ep. Other stand outs include “Whiskey & Rags,” and “Take It Easy.”
So do yourself a favor and check out this amazing musician in a town near you! I have a sneaky suspicion hat you’ll be hearing her soon on the ETS podcast! Catch Emily live FOR FREE: Claremont, CA on February 25 (ticket info here), The Getty Center in LA (Sold Out) and in KY’s hometown of Seattle on April 22 (ticket info here)!
Buy The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties: Amazon/iTunes
Buy Dirty Ep- iTunes
Buy Beautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks: Amazon/iTunes