Sides (Acoustic) Emily King

• 1 Radio (Acoustic) 03:24
• 2 Can't Hold Me (Acoustic) 03:43
• 3 Teach You (Acoustic) 03:03
• 4 Look At Me Now (Acoustic) 03:11
• 5 No More Room (Acoustic) 03:01
• 6 Down (Acoustic) 03:52
• 7 Distance (Acoustic) 03:34
• 8 Already There (Acoustic) 03:53
• 9 The Switch (Acoustic) 02:38
• 10 Forgiveness (Acoustic) 03:38
• 11 Sides (Acoustic) 03:27
• Total Runtime 37:24

Info zu Sides (Acoustic)

Emily King’s music is often classed as R&B and soul, yet it also has a lot of jazz influences. Sides, an acoustic album released in January 2020, is no exception – it’s a brave choice to bring out a completely acoustic album, yet King’s subtle, soulful vocal and intimate, jazz-inspired song-writing style fits perfectly into this. The album features acoustic versions of songs from King’s previous albums Scenery and The Switch, and also from her EP Seven – there is also one original track, ‘Sides’. King has toured with iconic soul artists, yet her voice is not typical for soul music. However, her breathy, subtle tone is distinctive, bringing together different generic influences – her voice reminds me of Amber Novran from Moonchild, yet it is also slightly more alternative than this, also reminding listeners of indie bands such as HAIM. Sides really showcases King’s vocal ability, and also her emotional connectivity – it’s almost as though she chose an acoustic album in order to highlight her lyrical content and vocal more than anything else. For me, this choice pays off, as many of the songs are moving and relatable, and are just as good as the original, fully-produced tracks.

‘Radio’ opens the album with a beautiful piano and acoustic guitar intro – immediately there’s a soulful melody from King, as she sings about music as her religion. The lyrical sentiment is extremely meta, as King sings ‘if I had a religion it would surely be a love song in the distance’ – she quotes Hendrix, Marley and Aretha as some of her inspirations, revealing her eclectic influences. The beat is laidback, and the piece has a generally summer vibe – as a musician, this song is really meaningful to me as music is, in some sense, a practise many follow as though it were a religion. ‘Can’t Hold Me’ follows, originally from her 2019 album Scenery – this album is more upbeat than her previous album, and this acoustic version reflects this. The groove is provided by plucked guitar, and a quiet drum beat – the stop-time in this piece also adds impact to the groove and rhythm. This track makes you want to nod your head, and the backing vocals add a soulful layer alongside piano and guitar fills.

‘Teach You’, in contrast, opens with a slower tempo, and is a beautiful calm piece about showing and explaining your love. Sara Bareilles provides beautiful harmonies over King’s subtle vocal, and also provides a folky, country twist with her vocals on the verse. The strings on this piece add to the atmosphere, and in general this piece is extremely relaxing, yet moving. ‘Call them up when you’re feeling blue’ is related with subtlety, and the piece ends with vocal harmonies alone, highlighting the softness of the piece. ‘Look At Me Now’ opens with the most interesting harmonic choices so far, and flows into the heaviest beat of the tracks so far. The guitar and drum stabs provide the groove, as King sings about discovering an ex partner having a new partner, and the complex feelings this causes. The piano and guitar interlude provides a different texture, and allows King to explore vocal ideas further. In general, this album has a subtle, ambient sound which is very different to fully-produced tracks.

‘No More Room’ opens with a bluesy guitar intro, followed by one of King’s most soulful vocals – her runs are really tight. This track is from King’s EP Seven, which has some really great tracks. The higher notes are really special in this piece, as King effortlessly moves between different melodic ideas. ‘No more room in my life for you dear’ is a hard hitting lyric, but related beautifully and with nuance. ‘Down’ is also from Seven, but has a much sadder feel – opening with muted piano and minor chords, this piece is about worrying about the end of a relationship. The strings build this piece, and lyrics such as ‘tease me with a smile and then you leave me all alone’ are related with emotional tension. The ending is really beautiful, with a final ‘down down down down down, can we get back up again’ – the piece ends with a cliff hanger. ‘Distance’ is probably one of my favourtite tracks from King; the harmonic choices are the most jazz-inspired of this compilation. Even though this is an acoustic version of the song, there’s still a small ‘beat drop’, and stop-time which adds impact to the track. The strings on this piece add to the overall texture, and the lyric is about wanting to allow your partner space in a relationship – ‘don’t want to try to change the pace of your life’. This lyrical sentiment is pretty unique, and King does it perfectly, alongside a soulful groove.

‘Already There’ is next, using pretty Latin-jazz guitar patterns – again this piece has a very summery vibe, and is about being in the place of your dreams. The backing vocals add to the soulful melody, as King relates the idea of already being in a beautiful place because you are with someone you love. The guitar fills are a really cool transitional tool on this track. ‘The Switch’ is obviously from King’s album The Switch, and this acoustic version is again bluesy and soulful. The backing vocals really add to the blues and soul feel, as they are in call and response with King as though calling out to her initial statement. This piece has a more upbeat tempo, yet is again relaxing because of the subtle vocal and acoustic choice. The repeated ‘ain’t got time for this’ is really catchy, and King takes the opportunity to improvise over the repetitions.

‘Forgiveness’ opens with a gospel-like piano intro, and seems to also have some gospel themes in the lyrics. King makes sure that every lyric is heard and related with feeling, as with all of the tracks on this album – ‘you make me beg for forgiveness’ is about having feelings for somebody you cannot be with, and therefore asking for forgiveness for making ‘bad decisions’. The high notes on this track are again impressive, alongside a lovely string backing – on the last chorus, King highlights her full vocal ability by blueing notes and singing with feeling. ‘Sides’, the final track and the only new piece on this album, fits the acoustic vibe exactly – King again relates a hard hitting lyric with subtlety and deep feeling. The track opens with more gospel, jazz-influenced chords on muted piano, and is just King’s soft vocal alongside this. ‘There’s a side of me that needs to be afraid, and there’s a side of you that makes it all okay’ is such a moving lyrical sentiment, and the strings which slowly slide into high notes add to the emotion of the track. Later, the strings slowly build before suddenly dropping out, illuminating the impact of King’s vocal again. This piece really ties the whole album together, with its soulful and meaningful sentiment.

Sides is a great compilation of Emily King’s work, and the choice for it to be acoustic really works for her style. The subtlety of King’s vocal, the strength of her song writing, and the softness of the instrumental choices all work to create a beautifully crafted, subtle and moving album. If you enjoy highly produced tracks with a fuller sound, and business, this album is not for you – but for the majority of listeners, the tracks are a satisfying listen. King’s lyrical ability is really special, as she is able to relate common feelings in new and subtle ways, with a broad depth of emotional complexity. Ultimately, if you enjoy soulful or jazz-inspired music, and subtle vocal tones, this album should definitely be on your listening waiting list. (writtenrecordsblog.wordpress.com)

Emily King, vocals, guitar

Please Note: We offer this album in its native sampling rate of 48kHz, 24-bit. The provided 96kHz version was up-sampled and offers no audible value!

Emily King
born and raised in New York City, began her career with the release of her first album East Side Story. Her magical lyricism and the dynamic delivery earned Emily her first Grammy nomination in the Best R&B Album category and she never looked back. Hits like “Georgia” from her Seven Ep, “Distance” from her album Switch, and “Remind Me” from her album Scenery have made Emily King one of R&B’s most beloved recording artist. Looking at 2019, the success continued with back to back Grammy nominations for “Look At Me Now” in the Best R&B Song category (2019) and for “See Me” in the Best R&B Performance category (2020). Throughout 2021, King has been playing to sold out crowds from New York City to Los Angeles as she celebrates the 10-year anniversary of The Seven EP. Playing songs from the critically acclaimed release including “Georgia”, “No More Room”, and “Sides”, King will continue the run into 2022.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet