A year removed from last year’s awesome Memory Lane, the country singer-songwriter is back with another massive, highly anticipated EP. The Voice alumni has been killing it in the decade since she nearly won the competition, with so many amazing albums, EPs and singles under her belt. She has been a constant, fantastic force within the country scene for years. Hell, the singles from this release so far have been great, and have me incredibly excited to give this a spin. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
The title track sets the tone for the EP perfectly. It’s a chilled-out, slowish number that highlights Emily’s phenomenal vocals. She makes it all sound so effortless, even when she puts a bit more power in in the choruses. It gives off big Colby Caillat vibes in the best ways possible. The instrumentation is simple but fits excellently behind the vocals, and some of the harmonies throughout on her voice are great. The chorus is big for the style, and effortlessly catchy. I’m honestly shocked it wasn’t a pre-release single, but will surely be a big radio hit now that it is out! A great start to the release!
Speaking of singles, the most recent, ‘Lonely Boy’, is up next. Again, her vocals are phenomenal from the jump, and the real focal point of the track. It’s also a bit more uptempo, there being a little more to the instrumentation and feels a lot like a 90s/early 2000s radio country hit. There’s a touch more power to her voice throughout as well, really getting to show off her impressive range, and the lyrics here are great too! The chorus is sure to be stuck in my head for days to come, a real earworm, but the whole track is catchy in its own right. And all the strings, be it the guitars or fiddle, really kill it through the whole nearly-four-minutes. It’s even better than the opener and certainly an easy early highlight, a very good choice for a single. No wonder it’s already caught some momentum!
The higher tempo and more barn-burner vibes continue through ‘Garden Grow’, and it’s amazing! Speaking of barn burner, it actually reminds me of the Dan Davidson track of the same name. It’s got a bit more of a Shania or Reba vibe to it, the guitars giving it a rocky edge that I loved. The lyrics are amazing too, maybe my favourite of the release, and once again the harmonies on Emily’s vocals through the chorus are phenomenal. We even get a short-but-sweet duelling solo between the guitar and fiddle, which bridged the gaps between choruses excellently. I am honestly a little obsessed with this track already; it’s one of my favourite country songs of the year at this point, honestly. A song that easily makes our playlist, and one I’d recommend to anyone!
The pace drops again for the final two songs on the album, but it honestly feels perfectly fitting. ‘When I Do’ still has a bit of anthemic vibe to it, especially in the big chorus, and there is plenty going on in the instrumentation. And the male vocal harmony pairs so incredibly with hers on this track, maybe the best of the whole EP. Then the release closes on the other single, the stripped-back ‘Laundry’. It’s a very simple arrangement, mainly focused around her vocals and an acoustic guitar. Once again that AMAZING vocal harmony comes in for the choruses, alongside a simple drumbeat and some more strings in the back. Despite the slower pace and chilled vibe, the arrangement is still great! Both songs are excellent in their own right, and fit in with the other songs on the EP perfectly. The closer is a great ballad and another good choice for a single, but that shouldn’t take away anything from ‘When I Do’. It is, however, the perfect way to close out the release, it really building to a grandiose sound by the end!
Overall: I absolutely loved this! Every track is as amazing as the last, and they all fit in perfectly with each other. Her vocals and lyrics are incredible throughout, but her backing band also work their asses off, killing it through the whole damn thing. I cannot recommend this enough to anyone even vaguely into country music, and I’ll be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come. Despite her being a big name already, this deserves so much more love than it will surely get. What are you waiting for? Go listen to it!
The Score: 8.5/10