Somewhere in the world between technicolored soul, southern blues and 60′s rock-n-roll, Austin, TX singer/songwriter, Emily Bell, has a debut disc that sonically fits on it’s own planet. From being raised by the flamboyant queens of musical theater, to being toughened up by the seasoned cats of R&B and taken under the wing of rock-n-roll; Bell’s large musical family has created an extremely original and compelling monster. With a voice that fits in the realm of her soulful British female counterparts, she backs it up with an energetic rock-n-soul vibe. While giving a nod to the great musical souls of the past, Bell didn’t just close her eyes and throwback a few stones hoping to catch the resurrected wave of the 60’s and 70’s. “I wanted to create a record of songs that captured the energy of what naturally comes out of me, the musicians I work with, and I wanted to stay true to the neighborhood I grew up in.”
Montrose neighborhood in Houston, TX- where Bell had her first encounter with singer/songwriter, John Evans, and producer/co-writer of her debut record. “It was a special music scene going on there, Delta blues, southern roots music; musicians inspired by the greats- Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Gene VIncent, etc.” At 19, Bell was bar tending and singing with bands in the scene. “These were my friends and some of my greatest musical influences. And when I saw John play for the first time, he immediately became a great friend and influence.”
In 2006, Emily moved to the west coast, where she wrote, sang and recorded with former members of Tony Toni Tone, and Lucy Pearl. “My musical world began to open up to whole new planets.” After a few years, Bell felt the longing to bring her newly discovered planets back to where she came from. “Texas is home to me. It’s also where my musical roots are.” states Emily.
Back in Texas, a run in with her old friend John Evans changed things. “We immediately began collaborating on songs. I wanted to tie the thread between what I experienced musically on the west coast to my musical roots back home. John was the perfect guy to do that with. He’s been crossing boundaries in southern music for over a decade.” Together their inspirations span from The Ronnettes to Otis Redding, Gene Vincent to Hank Williams, and The Stones to The Stooges. The result is a collection of high energy, highly original songs. Her first release is a Double A Side featuring two songs off the record, “Back to the Way I Was”, a stompy rock and soul number that cleverly captures Bell’s return to the place of her roots and “Pusher Girl” a distorted bluesy track with a vocal delivery from Bell that captures the days of when a woman sang about freedom with belted power and seduction. All in all, it showcases a collection of songs that are built with old school steel, but the tracks they ride on are polished and new.
