Album review : EMMA WILSON – Wish Her Well

Pete Feenstra chatted to Emma Wilson for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, playing tracks from the album ‘Wish Her Well’. First broadcast 4 December 2022.

Self release [Release date 13.05.22]

Emma Wilson’s ‘Wish Her Well’ is a ground breaking multi-genre album glued together by autobiographical tinged songs and her evocative voice that is always guided by lyrical feel.

It’s a band project in which her broad musical horizons are forged by her band’s intuitive interplay and meticulous support.

Significantly it’s also her debut recording of self penned material, though the 7 co-writes suggest a songwriter open to further musical exploration.

And though it might be marketed as a blues album, there’s a significant soulful undertow full of musically diverse arrangements and a willingness to strip back the production and place the emphasis on the song.

As a result there’s a diverse, but musically related set of tracks including the jagged edged funk of ‘Nuthin I Won’t Do’, the edgy ‘Blossom Like Now’, the celebratory drinking song ‘Rack ‘Em Up’, the guitar driven gusto of the caustic ‘Not Paying’ and the ethereal ‘Little Love Bite’.

It’s an album interwoven with lyrical and musical tensions that are subtly resolved, be it with the imperious vocal arc on ‘Blossom Like Snow’ or the defining guitar line on ‘Rack ‘Em Up’, while the sludgy slow build and sinewy guitar line perfectly underpins the closing ‘Then I’m Gone.’

I’m sure I’m not the first to notice the exclamatory nature of the closing line ‘Then I’m Gone.’ It puts the seal on a musical journey that opens impressively with the hard hitting title track which builds exponentially courtesy of her marvellous band and an intuitive production that over the course of the album subtly emphasises musical motifs, the versatility of her range and elemental soulful grooves.

And as if buoyed by the projects inherent infrastructure, she has the self confidence to tackle the emotive ‘Blossom Like Snow.’

‘Wish her Well’ is my album of the year and while Emma may find it hard in the future to top an album like this, given her lyrical honesty and unfettered vocal ability I wouldn’t bet against it. *****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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