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Click to hear a free sound clip of Emily Lord's 2012 single
What Are You Fighting For?
written and recorded for the University of Notre Dame
available now for $.99 download at
iTunes, Amazon MP3, and The Spirit of Notre Dame CD website
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Emily
Lord music available now
on iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon MP3 and more
 With
a voice that soothes and lyrics that inspire,
Dedicated might
just be Emily Lord’s best recorded
work. Like her three previous albums, Dedicated crosses
genre boundaries: it has pop-feel, folk
roots, and beautifully crafted lyrics
where not a word is wasted. Combine Mary
Chapin Carpenter’s poetry and calming
vocals with Melissa Etheridge’s spine-tingling,
upbeat delivery and you’ve got Dedicated.
The music touches your soul and feels good
when you listen to it.
Anyone
who has wrestled with mortality, motherhood, or political skepticism
will enjoy this album. Emily’s storytelling draws
you closer, disarms you with her direct prose, and calms you with
her beautiful sound. You feel as though you are listening to a
trusted old friend and find yourself saying time and again “yeah,
I know exactly what she is talking about.”
The
songs are deeply personal and paint a portrait Emily’s
recent life experiences. Beginning in January 2009, Emily emerged
from a five-year songwriting hiatus since having her two young
children. Listeners hear peacefulness and “comfortable-in-her-own
skin” freedom on Dedicated.
Dedicated is
Emily’s third collaboration with veteran
record producer Mark Hallman at The Congress House Studio in Austin,
Texas (Carole King, Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Eliza Gilkyson,
Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams). Like a throwback to her debut
album, Emily’s acoustic guitar and lead vocals are paramount.
In addition, Hallman performs supporting tracks of understated
guitars, crisp percussion, and rootsy Hammond organ. The
production balances authenticity with polish.
The four-song collection begins with Beautiful Old Friend. Emily
wrote it out of love and concern for her best friend who lost her
mother after a long battle with cancer. The song gives permission
to mourn. The recording session for Dedicated, which had been scheduled
months in advance, coincidentally fell upon the day after the funeral.
Emily wrote this song during a 12-hour stretch through the night
while traveling to Austin, and recorded it that same day. The emotion
was captured, and the result is magic.
The song Mother defines
Emily’s present reality. It honors the philosophical
commitment she has made to mother her children the best way she
knows how, while acknowledging the daily grind and often unglamorous
reality it entails. Like anything in life, the right mindset with
a long-term perspective makes all the difference. Many songwriters
pen soulful music about hard times on the road touring and playing
shows. In this song, Emily gives voice to mothers in the trenches
who feel pride and a strong sense of purpose for their choice.
On January
21, 2009 Emily wrote Inauguration Day. Our peaceful transition
of power, particularly in turbulent times, is always
an historic occasion. The most recent inauguration day was certainly
all that, and much more. The mood was electric no matter your party
or political persuasion. But Inauguration Day probably isn’t
the song you’re expecting to hear. Emily does not re-hash
everything that has already been said about that day, nor is she
an activist songwriter trying to make a political statement. Emily
takes off the rose-colored glasses and reminds us that the man
is only human. With an upbeat vibe, humor, and razor sharp observation,
it captures the spirit of hope we felt on Inauguration Day, tempered
by cautious optimism (and a healthy dose of skepticism) about the
journey ahead.
Emily completes the collection with a cover
of Madonna’s mega-hit, Like A Prayer. Remaking
a Madonna song is a bold move, and implicitly suggests that a
new performance might have something worthwhile to offer. In
the 20th anniversary year of its original release, Emily presents
a bluesy, sultry, rock and roll rendition of Madonna’s legendary dance
club hit. The song remains intact, yet is re-framed. In the opening
lines, you are certain that you’ve heard this song before,
but you can’t quite place it. Listening to Emily’s
Like A Prayer moves you to the edge of your seat; crank up the
volume and sing along.
As
its title evokes, each song in this four-song collection is dedicated
to someone. Thematically, these songs also explore the essence
of dedication: how love, devotion, and responsibility are intertwined.
Dedicated is a hopeful, uplifting album whose richness is further
revealed with every listen.
Read more
about the story behind "Dedicated" in an interview with Emily
Lord.
Emily Lord Photo ©2011 Dorothy Brown Photograhy
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