This debut album by Chicago-based Emily Haden Lee and was co-produced by Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Dawson and husband Alex Lee. The songs reflect a traumatic period of heartbreak and growth following the recent loss of the her father and brother.
Haden Lee grew up in southern Missouri and studied interior design, studio art and art history at Indiana University. At high school, she was very active in the choir and later briefly toyed with the idea of becoming an opera singer. Listening to artists like Bonnie Raitt. Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin and Eva Cassidy changed her mind and inspired her to take a different course. After working in interior design for 8 years, she decided to take the plunge and become a full time musician.
She is graced with a pure, soulful voice that benefits from quiet understated arrangements. The thirteen-song album opens with Gentle Man, a touching tribute to her late father (“a tall and gentle man with the spirit of a lion”) and Cowboy was written for her brother.
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The melodies are warm while the lyrics focus on personal memories and future possibilities. In Time Is A Thief she reflects on the ”cruel truth that everything fades” but a spirit of optimism and independence is evident in the title track as she sings ”I’ll take whatever comes for me and I know I can do it on my own.”
The one cover track is Jolene, not the Dolly Parton classic but Ray La Montagne’s earthy lament sung from the viewpoint of an unrepentant drinking man.
A little more variety wouldn’t have gone amiss but this record is accurately described as ”a therapeutic labour of love.” Its soothing qualities are easy to relate to and gentle on the ear .
Emily Haden lee’s website
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