Emmeline

There’s always that go-to description of a “coffee-shop sound” when you’re describing a female artist with a natural voice and affinity for the piano or an acoustic guitar. It either can be a compliment or, as anyone who’s suffered through an amateur night can attest, a tired complaint. With Emmeline Miles’ new EP, it’s a compliment. The opening track, “Title Story,” is a simplistic and haunting story of loss that sticks with you. The Texas native doesn’t hammer home the sadness; instead, she lays it out there and lets it sit with you, buried, until a gloomy day can bring it to the surface. The rest of the album is just as effective as it transitions into songs of hope and touch of silliness. “Give a Damn” is a great example of resigned, unrequited love and not the only example of Emmeline channeling contemporary folk artist Susan Werner. Both singer-songwriters use understated (but strong) melodies to wind through stories of everyday life that seem to have been written for sleepy New England towns, or black-and-white movie montages. At only seven tracks, this EP will have to do until Emmeline releases the full-length she’s currently working on. Visit her at http://emmemusic.tripod.com to order.