Whether she’s operating as solo artist or as one half of Geppetto, I’m enamoured with Emma Dean. So I was thrilled to see she’s released a brand new EP. “Phoebe (With Her Whole Heart)” gives us a taste of what we can expect from White, a recording that’s billed as a collection of “off-kilter ballads about new beginnings.”
And yes, after hearing it I’m just as in love with what Emma does. This is divine.
Emma Dean seems on the path to international stardom after signing a record deal with American indie label Candyrat Records. The label is best known for its stable of instrumental guitarists, but more recently it’s begun to champion exceptional singer-songwriters.
The US label will release Emma’s forthcoming EP White, which should hit the market in March or April of this year. It will be one of three colourful digital EPs Emma will release this year. White will feature intimate ballads about new beginnings performed on a Wurlitzer. The following release, Red, will showcase theatrical and passionate songs focused around the heart. Finally there’s Black, the darkest of the bunch, sexy and jazz-inspired.
Emma and her long-time musical collaborator and co-producer Ben Stewart will move to New York next month to support the upcoming releases.
Image used with permission from Emma Dean
After hearing the New York Post rave about our own Emma Dean, I knew her sophomore album Dr Dream and the Imaginary Pop-Cabaret must be something special. But I wasn’t prepared for exactly what a magical album it is.
Emma Dean pushes the envelope to create a record that lies somewhere between old school Tori Amos and the Wicked soundtrack. That sounds like a bizarre combination, and I suppose it is, but on listening to the record it all makes perfect sense.
Just like those early Tori Amos recordings, Emma keeps proceedings moving along with her driving piano notes and an innate theatricality. On the surface there doesn’t seem to be the angst of a Little Earthquakes, but don’t dismiss it as frothy stuff. The lyrics plumb some really dark themes, but they’re presented with such color and flamboyance that the casual listener might miss them. Of course, that only makes this complex recording richer on each listen.
Tunes like “Stuck in the Mud” and the single “Sincerely Fearful” seem like they’re made for a modern Broadway musical. Again there’s that great sense of theatre that seems bigger than an album, but it’s not as affected as an old-fashioned show tune might be.
“Something They Can Hold” is another tune worthy of note, a track with such emotional intensity and visceral lyrics that it left me floored.
With Tori Amos mellowing in her middle age, I’m thrilled to see an artist of Emma Dean’s talent picking up the baton. We needed a strong, independent, and individual female voice on the musical landscape, and knowing she’s Australian makes it all the better. Dr Dream and the Imaginary Pop-Cabaret is a very special CD that won’t be leaving my stereo any time soon.
Image source: BigPond Music
The New York Post always has its finger on the pulse, so when it names one of our musicians as someone to watch in 2011 you know they’re something pretty special. Quirky cabaret pop songstress Emma Dean is the only Aussie on the list of “Top 10 Artists to Know in 2011.”
That’s not bad for a girl from Queensland who only launched her second album, Dr Dream & the Imaginary Pop Cabaret, a couple of weeks ago!
“Singer, songwriter and self proclaimed ringmaster Emma Dean is a hobobag full of crazy pills. Like the really awesome hallucinogenic kind,” the New York Post gushed, before saying we should “Just sample her monster Broadway single ‘Sincerely Fearful,’ which is 50% Wicked and 50% Tori Amos and 100% addictive, and you will find an unavoidable sound worthy of the repeat button.”
So if you didn’t sample Emma’s song the last time I posted it, what are you waiting for? It’s only a matter of time before this unique Aussie talent makes it big.
Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting
Emma Dean is one of those special artists that brings a sense of theatre to her music. She calls to mind such strong female performers as Kate Bush and Amanda Palmer with her sophomore album Dr Dream and The Imaginary Pop-Cabaret.
“Essentially, I think of my original music as being piano- based cabaret-tinged pop which is presented with a theatrical flair. In short, I call it pop-cabaret”, she explained in a statement.
“This particular body of work explores themes such as imagination, insanity, fear, obsession and dreams. Dr Dream is one of the characters from my Imaginary Friends tour and this album is all about me sitting in his office, on his big black chair and rambling on about the inner-most workings of my mind. It’s about letting go of all the things I’m normally too afraid and ashamed to speak of and unashamedly airing them in song. It’s been scary but therapeutic.”
This video for “Sincerely Fearful” gives you some idea of what you’re in for when you take a journey through Emma Dean’s mind. She brings this same sense of theatricality to her live performances, which also feature her corseted, dancing “Imaginary Friends.” If this sounds like something you want to experience, make sure you get to one of the upcoming album launch shows.
20 November 2010 – The Raval @ The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney (18+)
26 November 2010 – The Old Museum @ Studio One, Brisbane (All Ages)
27 November 2010 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne (18+)
Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting