Emily King - East Side Story
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Free Music Notes for East Side Story
Free Music Review: 4 1/2 stars - A promising debut.
Hit: 4 Stars
The promotional posters for East Side Story boast the tagline: 'beyond definition.' I don't think I could put it much better than that. Emily King fuses many different genres like jazz, hip hop, R&B, pop and even reggae to produce some great music that sounds quite different from anything else out there at the moment. The album reminds me a bit of Lauryn Hill's Miseducation in that aspect. King's voice is light, soulful and bluesy and unlike many in the business, she chooses to use some live instrumentation, which truly brings a new dimension to the music. The whole album sounds very 'live' and heart-felt.
As ashamed as I am to say this, the first time I heard of this wonderful artist was on the website for the TV show, Charm School. I listened to the first single "Walk In My Shoes" and instantly fell in love with the song. The thumping bassline and the crisp rimshot with Emily's emotional delivery of the "you don't know what I've been through" type of lyrics made a perfect track.
The rest of the album, I am glad to say, is equally great. "Colorblind" is a heart-wrenching autobiographical tale of the troubles of growing up bi-racial. "Alright" is a nice inspirational mid-tempo. "U & I" is an old school soul throwback love song with beautiful harmonies and production. "Hold Me," one of my favorite tracks, is a reggae-influenced song of infatuation. King delivers an emotionally-charged cover of the classic, "Ain't No Sunshine." "You Can Get By" encourages a woman to leave an abusive realtionship going nowhere. "E Melody" is catchy. "It Was You" is a painful breakup song and the production matches the sentiment. "Moon" is layered with lush guitars and vocals. Ms. King gives some political commentary on "Business Man," which--if I'm not mistaken-- points the finger directly at owners of diamond mines in Africa. "Never Be Lonely" is another one of my favorite tracks. The song has a great horn section at the end and it tells of the classic "I-want-you-back" tale. "Ride With Me" is a relaxing gospel/reggae/soul mid-tempo. The album ends in a version of "Walk In My Shoes" with an added verse by Lupe Fiasco. His rhyming is excellent, but I still prefer the original.
Overall, this is an excellent album from a very talented artist who is here to stay. Her music and subject matter is highly varied. The production and songwritng is great, as well. I highly recommend it. (By the way, this is not an EP like the page says. It's a full-length album.)
Free Music Review: An Underlooked, Underappreciated Musical Gem
Hit: 4 Stars
I cannot recall how I discovered Emily King. I am a huge Pop/R&B/Pop music fan, so probably in my extensive musical searching and study, I came across her. Hearing her lead single, Walk In My Shoes, on her website instantly sold me to the fact that she has talent. Hailed in some circles as an Alicia Keys, like Keys, Emily is bi-racial and has a natural knack and talent for music. The main unfortunate aspect is that this musical gem has been under-supported, under-promoted, and certainly, underappreciated. Produced by Carl "Chucky" Thompson primarily, this CD contains some standout tracks that could definitely work on radio. Although Emily is in her early 20s, she doesn't just stick to the oft-mentioned topic of love. She experiments with being interracial on the nice, unique mid-tempo Colorblind. She challenges folks to "Walk In My Shoes" on the lead single, first track and also on the bonus track featuring a rap by the great rapper Lupe Fiasco. She even talks about the Moon and a Business Man. Emily reminds me slightly of Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, but she primarily has her own style--some slight funkiness, a little bubblegum pop, old-school R&B, tinges of Hip-Hop and a unique voice that fits all of the songs, this effort definitely needs to get recognized in this era of supporting talentless acts.
Top 3 Standout Tracks:
u&I---This song should definitely be a single. It's a fun-loving romance song with a swirling mid-tempo beat and a catchy hook.
Business Man--Emily tackles a deep topic in this slightly acoustic sounding slow song. It makes you think.
Never Be Lonely--The instruments seem to pay homage to the 70's Motown/R&B sound, as does a lot of the CD. It's a nice song.
This is a wonderful CD. I recommend it if you're looking for quality music.
Free Music Review: East Side Story - actually 4.5 stars
Hit: 4 Stars
Thank goodness for magazines - that's the only way I heard about Emily King. I'd bought a music mag in early Spring and put a post-it note on the page detailing the upcoming cd from this new artist. Shame on Clive Davis & J Records for not promoting this artist - hopefully she's being heard enough on satellite radio so that a following develops.
This artist is more similar to Alana Davis than the more obvious comparison as a "guitar playing Alicia Keys". Both Alana & Emily (who like A Keys are bi-racial artists from artistic families) feature personal lyrics, smooth almost jazz like vocals along with stellar musical arrangements & production.
The first four tracks: WALK IN MY SHOES, COLORBLIND, ALRIGHT and U & I are so personal that the lyrics could've been lifted verbatim from her diary.
Her rendition of the Bill Withers' classic, AIN'T NO SUNSHINE is terrific - you can really hear her vocal ability on this song with its spare production.
My other favorite tracks are:
YOU CAN GET BY - the musical arrangement made me feel like I was in a club listening to the band vibe
E MELODY - catchy & melodic
MOON & NEVER BE LONELY - tracks she wrote on her own are beautifully melodic
This is an excellent debut from a new artist who is being criminally underpromoted by her label but hopefully with good word of mouth, Emily will get the recognition she deserves.
Free Music Review: Didn't have to skip songs
Hit: 4 Stars
Well I'm certainly glad I'm a myspace user. That is how I came across this artist! The CD was an easy listen, her lyrics are very fresh, and her style seems more natural to me than Joss Stone. I don't have to skip any songs! It's a positive and welcome addition to my collection. Hopefully there will be even better to come!Free Music Review: She's Remarkable
Hit: 4 Stars
Emily King knows what she can do and does it well. The Cd is mostly a breezy, soulful, lyrical delight. I thought it was a plus not to have any forced dance numbers on it. It's just solid all around, makes you want to hear more and what more can you ask of a CD?