Some artists require a shoehorn to slide into their intended
genre, while others effortlessly glide between different camps. Emily Mae
Winters possesses the ultimate entertainer’s gift of being completely at ease
in whichever facet of her singer-songwriter art comes under the microscope. With
a debut album now in the locker, and an increasing run of live shows under her
belt, the cork to her potential has been popped. Where this leads her will no doubt be down to a combination of fortune and desire, but the eager anticipation of
being party to this in a fan role is an exciting proposition. To be on the
brink of a sell-out on a first headline appearance at the Kitchen Garden is no
mean achievement and the evidence of her innate talent was on stark display
during the time in the spotlight. Make no mistake; Emily is here for the long
term on a platform that may yet evolve.Maybe driven by a spate of artistic independence, Emily is steering clear of the pigeon hole status, while putting down some exceedingly deep rooted markers. It would take a bout of stubborn ignorance for the folk world not to embrace her style, especially when she saunters into the realm of the traditional song. This evening Emily’s versatility stretched from re-connecting with her partial Irish roots through the fairly conventional ‘She Moved Through the Fair’ to a braver dip into the English scene with a version of John Connolly’s popular tune ‘Fiddlers Green’. Two commendable efforts, although she did reveal an occasional mixed reaction in folk club land to the latter. Perhaps tinged with a little trepidation.
Yet for me, on the evidence of catching her live for two hours
across a couple of contrasting Birmingham venues in the last few months there
is an embedded trait to successfully spearhead a uniquely British challenge to the
classicist contemporary American singer-songwriters who reign supreme in such a
domain. Evidence for this came threefold, initially in the guise of two beautifully
crafted covers of Emmylou Harris’s ‘Red
Dirt Girl’ and ‘Killing the Blues’,
taken from the iconic Krauss-Plant RAISING SANDS album. However the prime mover
in rationalising my view on Emily’s strength is a gentle wobble in her voice
that is so reminiscent of Natalie Maines when she took those Dixie Chicks
ballads such as ‘Without You’ and ‘Top of the World’ to another level. It
also differentiates Emily from the archetypal English folk singer, often formed
by a crystal fragility. From this evening’s show, ‘Hook, Line and Sinker’, ‘Miles
to Go’, and most pertinently, ‘Blackberry Lane’ further cemented this highly valued assertion.
Aside the covers, of which we had an encore treat as well,
and the traditional pieces, Emily’s ability to write her own songs is proving to
be a significant part of the skillset. A love of literature especially the
poetic verse has a major input in this area. Joining the three songs just previously
mentioned, ‘Siren Serenade’ is
another outstanding effort in this field. As well as doubling up as the title
of the album, this song is emerging as a popular live number, with this evening’s
configuration of the Kitchen Garden perfectly adhering itself to the dual
blending of audience generated harmonies. The effect was like something
straight out of Oh Brother Where Art Thou.
By the time Emily sent the audience on their merry way with
a final dip into the popular songbook via a communal version of ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’, the
deal had been sealed. Maybe audience – performer song keys were not perfectly
aligned, but classic songs transcend awkward moments. What had been nailed on
was an artist of extraordinary talent and one to absolutely take the vision of
the contemporary singer-songwriter forward in this country, and perhaps beyond.
Joining Emily on the bill for this show was another emerging
singer-songwriter by the name of Jack Hopkinson. He used the window of the
opening set to make a valid case for engaging in his credentials, which once
again spread out from a UK base to absorb some of the influences spawned from
venturing thousands of miles in a westward direction. Alongside a song about
Nashville, a cover of the James Taylor standard ‘You Got a Friend’ and numbers from his latest EP SECOND HAND LOVE,
the most profound moment from Jack’s set was a new song titled, from memory, ‘Take It From Me’.
Who knows where Emily Mae Winters is going to take her music? There is a school of thought to just enjoy the present, but an artist who stands still will wither and fade. This is unlikely to happen here with so much burgeoning talent and hopefully the passion to develop it. The winners are destined to be those who connect with her music. Maybe the final destination or not, but the thought of taking on our American cousins at their own game has just flickered a little brighter after discovering this artist.
