While many singers have to undergo throat surgeries at some point, few have had to endure the ordeal twice. Yet that's precisely what Emma-Lee experienced at the beginning of her career, although it's ended up spurring the Toronto, ON singer-songwriter to greater heights. After drawing comparisons to Norah Jones and Feist with her 2008 full-length debut, Never Just A Dream, Backseat Heroine finds Emma-Lee confidently distancing herself from her jazz influences in favour of more rustic tones. Collaborating on several tracks with Asbury Park, NJ singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins has clearly given Emma-Lee's storytelling chops a boost, as evidenced by the title track, inspired by a line in a Bobbie Gentry song, and she also releases a great deal of pent-up rocking energy on "Shadow of a Ghost" and "Not Coming By." The aching ballads of the first album are still echoed on tracks such as Jill Barber co-write "I Could Live With Dying Tonight," while a duet with Luke Doucet, "Today's Another Yesterday," is a clear highpoint. Just the fact that Emma-Lee has made it this far is a testament to her fortitude, but Backseat Heroine proves that she's only just begun.
What did you want to do differently on this album?
Musically, there isn't really a trace of jazz. I'd call it a pop record, but it's a bit rock, a bit country and soulful throughout. I think my voice has also developed quite significantly; I discovered a lot of new things I could do with it in the past couple of years. Perhaps the common thread with Never Just A Dream is that it's still a bit whimsical. In my head, most of the songs are very cinematic; you can see them as much as hear them.
Was there one song that was the catalyst for this new direction?
The first song I wrote for this one was "Not Coming By." It had a darker vibe than anything from the first record and I think I followed that muse. I think my biggest goal with the new batch of songs was to write music I would have fun performing live.
You've had to overcome two throat surgeries. How have you coped with that?
Being faced with the thought of losing your voice is terrifying; it's so fragile. I have to take care of myself and it's tough because I'm often in loud bars talking over music, surrounded by tempting things that are all terrible for your voice.
(eOne)What did you want to do differently on this album?
Musically, there isn't really a trace of jazz. I'd call it a pop record, but it's a bit rock, a bit country and soulful throughout. I think my voice has also developed quite significantly; I discovered a lot of new things I could do with it in the past couple of years. Perhaps the common thread with Never Just A Dream is that it's still a bit whimsical. In my head, most of the songs are very cinematic; you can see them as much as hear them.
Was there one song that was the catalyst for this new direction?
The first song I wrote for this one was "Not Coming By." It had a darker vibe than anything from the first record and I think I followed that muse. I think my biggest goal with the new batch of songs was to write music I would have fun performing live.
You've had to overcome two throat surgeries. How have you coped with that?
Being faced with the thought of losing your voice is terrifying; it's so fragile. I have to take care of myself and it's tough because I'm often in loud bars talking over music, surrounded by tempting things that are all terrible for your voice.
