image courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

Album Review of Emma Wilson: Memphis Calling

What a voice! Emma Wilson‘s Memphis Calling is a powerful rhythm and blues record. While I’d primarily classify it as blues, it is a very soulful blues with some pop-friendly melodic playfulness. In any case, I can see why Emma’s press material refers to her as rhythm and blues rather than simply blues, and I’m convinced by this record that it’s an appropriate distinction.

But about that voice? Emma shows it off throughout the album, but she wastes no time getting the listeners’ attention, showcasing its texture, power, and versatility in the catchy “A Small Word,” with the singalong lyrics “Love is just a small word. Why is it so hard to say?” Ooh, yeah! “A Small Word” is one of the four songs (out of Memphis Calling‘s nine) on which Emma has a songwriter credit.

Mid-to-up-tempo “Water” follows, starting slow but quickly building to power, showcasing Emma’s soulful vocal power with playful blues instrumentation supporting her. It’s an update of singer/songwriter Eddie Floyd’s 1968 original. I gave the sixties original a listen, and it’s impressive how modern that original sounds; Emma didn’t have to update it much to make it sound fully modern, and she duplicates Eddie’s vocal power. Indeed, it was a perfect selection for her voice. The song’s playfulness is engaging, its recurring instrumentation hooky, and it will quickly become a favorite.

“Watching You Leave” is a good choice for a third track. After two such energetic numbers, it changes the pace a little. I mean, the horns quickly establish that it’s not a true ballad, but it is slower paced and smoother than the two more dynamic numbers preceding it. And Emma restrains the urge to showcase her vocal runs, mostly, sticking to remaining dynamic within the song structure. The following song, “I Still Love You,” is an even slower number, a true ballad.

“What Kind of Love” features Don Bryant as guest vocalist, and the pair’s vocals meld well in this funky, playful, moderately-paced blues strutter.

“I’ll See You in the Morning” is the first song to operate at the high end of Emma’s range, a raw, ragged, thin, emotional vocal that serves this song well. Even the early/mid-song guitar solo adds to the feeling of a weary day, a little emotionally strained to match Emma’s vocals. Oh, and I’ve gotta mention the cool organ coming in at the end adding that final touch.

“Drug” is a thicker-textured song, with some heavy horns and a funky beat, while “Hoochie Coochie Mama” is a full-on return to the blues, a gender-swapped update of the Willie Dixon-penned Muddy Waters standard, “Hoochie Coochie Man.”

Emma then ends Memphis Calling with her understated rendition of the slow, slow crooner “Since I Fell For You,” with the organ giving the song a bit of a Gospel blues feel.

Emma Wilson’s voice and versatility make Memphis Calling an exceptional blues recording, beginning to end. My favorites are the two energetic album-openers, “A Small Word” and “Water” – and, aside from the ballads of course, those are probably the two songs with the biggest crossover appeal beyond core blues fans – but if your stylistic tastes differ from mine, you may find your favorites elsewhere on this strong, solid record.

Looking Ahead

Emma has several concerts, all in the UK, currently listed on the “Shows” page of her website. Tonight, March 23rd, she’ll be performing at the
Beastie Fest Blues and Rock Festival at Boom in Leeds, with her next show scheduled for May 23rd in Sunderland. Check Emma’s website for more information about those shows and the others on her calendar.