Patience and persistence are handy virtues when pursuing a career in music, and for every Taylor Swift, whose star has been shining since the age of 16, there are scores of artists who devote their whole lives to their craft with no guarantee of success.
Emily West’s career has almost gone full circle. She started off her career as a signed artist, but creative differences meant they eventually parted ways. Like many musicians she kept plugging away performing in bars, when suddenly the opportunity to appear on America’s Got Talent came about, and the rest as they say is history.
I spoke at length with Emily about how she’s got to where she is now and her experience within the industry and it was certainly fascinating.
So here we have the debut album, ‘All For You’. Now I will warn you advance, if you’re expecting a traditional country record, you’re not going to find it here. In creating the record Emily spoke about not wanting to be put in a box musically, and this is what partly contributed to her split from her original label.
Musically Emily West is influenced by the great female soloists of the past, the likes of Barbara Streisand, Billie Holliday, Patsy Cline the list goes on, but the one thing they all have in common is the ability to capture the attention of an audience with just their voice. Unfortunately in a age of extravagant stage production and showmanship, there are not many who could just stand in one spot all night and dominate a stage – that’s not to say they don’t exist mind, as Carrie Underwood and LeAnn Rimes are perhaps more modern day examples.
Emily West initially captured the attention of the wider American audience with her classy interpretation of the Sia Furler hit ‘Chandelier’ so it was appropriate that this was the first track of the record. With the piano and violin instrumentals, quite a difference to the dance music-orientated original, Emily certainly makes this version her own. Her vocal ability is unquestionable, but in a record which features a few covers it’s not easy to be able to express your own individuality. However this is something that Emily West is very good at doing. ‘Without You’, the David Guetta (seriously never thought I’d name check him in a country music blog) and Usher song, is given a makeover. The original version featured a strong vocal performance. Emily’s version strips back the production and again is tailored to ensure that her vocals remain the centre of attention. Another notable cover is the Roy Orbinson hit ‘You Got It’.
Here in the UK, singers from reality shows are rarely afforded any respect as artists purely because of the fact they have come from a reality show. However the US audience has always indicated a willingness to accept artists who go down that avenue. Perhaps in many ways although they spend weeks and weeks performing other people’s songs they are, at the end of the process, able to express their own individuality as artists, and that is what Emily West has been able to do. Prior to her stint on America’s Got Talent, Emily has been writing songs in Nashville for years, so it’s no surprise she’s able to include her own songs in ‘All For You’. Striking up a partnership with fellow songwriter Kevin Rhodes, with four co-writes on the record she certainly shows her credentials as a songwriter.
‘Bitter’ is one of the more intriguing tracks on the album. “The Gate was left open and I opened my eyes… I’m giving up what I used to love” is perhaps a little reflective of her personal experiences with her struggles musically. Either way ‘Bitter’ features another excellent performance vocally by Emily, she even manages to make heartbreak seem quite uplifting, leaving me a little unsure of what I am supposed to feel (that isn’t a criticism though).
‘Battles’ shows a softer, more rustic side to her vocals and is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album, starting with an acoustic feel then elevating into the booming choruses she’s fast making a trademark of her music.
Overall ‘All For You’ is a solid debut record, but Emily West is one of those artists who for me can only truly be appreciated in live performance. The ability to create a almost Jessica Rabbit-like character means she is able to give her music an old school feel. What impresses me that even in the covers she is able to pour her emotion into a song and make it sound like it was her own.
The only concern I have is that the record will struggle to pick up airplay, mainly for the reason that she doesn’t really put herself in a box, but that’s not really of her own making. It’s difficult to gauge the true quality of her abilities as a songwriter due to the amount of covers on ‘All For You’, but the early signs are promising.
It’s not really a country record, but if you have a spare 40 minutes or so to listen to an excellent vocal performance, then do so.
Originally posted here.
