There was once a time when the U.K. had a number
of quality female artists who were outputting foot tapper after foot tapper on
the reggers. Unfortunately, in recent years that wave of well-dressed, sassy,
individual female artists have seemed to have disappeared and been replaced by
the run of the mill manufactured, X-Factor friendly dross that we see all over
the badly written tabloids on a weekly, if not daily basis. The female artists
of the early noughties and beyond were just ace weren’t they!? I'm talking
about the likes of Kate Nash, Lilly Allen, Duffy and of course our girl Amy...
All of them were their own individuals, had something to say about the world
and hit vocal ranges any budding singer could only dream of. This brings me to
2018 and Emily Capell. A young female artist who could definitely reignite that
flame of the cool girls who can sing once more. Trappy, sassy, cool and most
importantly mega talented Emily Capell is someone who really needs to be on
your radar and on your turntable in 2018.
If you haven't heard this girl sing, play guitar
and just look generally cool on stage then you need to give your swede a spin.
I was lucky enough to catch her support my mates The Spitfires and she opened
up the gig in a calm, confident fashion whilst hitting vocal ranges that any
budding singer/songwriter could only dream of. Oh, and she's got a dead good
beehive too that any young Mod girl would be proud to wear.
Emily has just recently released her latest E.P.
in the form of 'Who Stands With Latasha Harlins?' and was kind enough to send
us a copy to review. The first thing that strikes you about this E.P. is the
quality of the production. It's tight and you can tell the geezer(s) on the
mixing desk have really perfected their craft. The backing band sound solid too
and make for a great wholesome, organic sound. The E.P. consists of 5 tracks so
I thought we could run through each one for ya. Shall we?....
No Worries
Love this tune. It's joyful, upbeat and talks
about a regular sight you see up and down the U.K.'s highstreets’s every
weekend. People who wear band tees who don't have a clue who or what the band
are. They buy them from Primark and usually have no interest in the band or
their tunes. Doyles if you ask me... Any 'No Worries' is a great way to start
the E.P. and draws the listener in instantly. Drums and guitar blend together
perfectly in a minim fashion and get the track of to a flyer. It's a great tune
and is very upbeat which sets the tempo for the rest of the E.P. Lyrics like
'Nothing hurts like seeing a jerk wearing a tee shirt for Joy Division' really
captures just what this tune is all about and you can instantly see the type of
people Emily is highlighting here. 'Why not go out and buy an album or wear a
plain white tee shirt instead' again a lyric which gives those people some much
needed advice in a polite manner. The brass section compliments the guitar
playing and Emily's vocals perfectly and makes for a very well-rounded track.
Until Monday
Yet another upbeat tune with a great 50s Rock 'n' Roll feel to it. It rumbles and roars through and has your foot tapping almost instantly. Again, Emily's vocal is spot on and drives the song along. The production is great on this track and it’s got a serious feel-good factor about it. The message 'So keep faith' rings throughout and would brighten even your darkest of days. Food banks and the clothes the kids are wearing these days are just some of the topics covered in this tune and it's great to hear young artists talking about their surroundings and social happenings! More artists should wear their hears on their sleeves like Emily Capell as it's a recipe for success for sure! Cracking song, I dig it!
Bonanza
'You see those guys who avoid my eyes, because I
don't like a posh boy if he's high' ace just ace! A proper lyric to open up a
tune with. I can just imagine young Tarquin in his pastel pink cords being more
than annoying in the local boozer. Great brass segments plied with solid guitar
playing and strong vocals make this song an instant hit. It's become a real
live favourite in Emily's sets and you can see why. 'I'm just so aware of our
class divide' again another lyric which strikes up a flavour of the harsh
reality we live in 2018. The class divide is larger than ever and this little
snippet highlights this here. Lyrics like this work in these tunes because of
the positivity factor which surrounds the E.P. There's some Ska and Dub
undertones here too which complement the track perfectly. Another good tune and
one that would fit perfectly in the middle of a sussed DJ set.
Tupac
There's a great ska, reggae back beat in this
song and it gives serious Winehouse feels which is always a good thing! 'You're
the greatest gangster rapper to come out of Compton, don't be a wasteman fam' A
lyric which gives a nod to both Mr Shakur and the current street speak spoken
by the countries yoot. Suge Knight and Junior Mafia are mentioned and you just
know Emily enjoys a bit of both the East and West coast, I mean who doesn't?
One of the all-time great rappers of yesteryear getting a song written about
him in 2018 just proves how much of an impact Tupac has had on modern music of
all genres. This tune has got a real groove to it and keeps the listener's ears
fixated until the very end. Emily's writing here is very, very strong and with
these songs she's given herself a great platform to release future music from.
West Coast for life!
Twisting
The final track on this cracking E.P. Fast,
straight to the point and melodic it's a fitting end to a great release, Again,
the brass outlets have been used really effectively and compliment Emily's
vocal on a number of occasions. Rock 'n' Roll undertones fill the track from
the floorboards up and give it that solid backbone that every good song needs.
It's a party tune and sounds huge when played live! Safe to say this is a
really strong release from a young female artist who is a pioneer of her
generation. Miss Capell dresses well, sings about current affairs and can play
guitar far better than the majority of 'Indie's next big thing' that you read
about online on a daily basis. Go buy this E.P. and support a young artist who
will most definitely be hitting heady heights in 2018! Available on all good
media outlets.
