Emina – Take #1

Emina is a female rock singer who has formed her own band and released this, her debut album.  Her biography on her website is fairly vague – she moved to Europe (from somewhere unspecified, but presumably the USA as her home town was into folk and line dance).  So really there’s not a lot that can be said about who Emina is.  What can be talked about though is her music, which is great rock music.

Whereas many female singers in the rock and metal scene at the moment go in for aa more operatic vocal style, there are still some great singers who are sticking to the traditional rock style, and Emina is one of them. She has a powerful voice that is well suited to a classic heavy rock sound, and works very well on slower ballads too.  Emina’s music is heavy rock – no fancy sub-genres, just good old fashioned heavy rock – and it sounds great.

Brief comments on a few of the songs..

The album kicks off with “Speeding on a highway”.  Good solid guitar riffs plus powerful vocals give this song plenty of power and energy

“Carry me” is a ballad and gives Emina a chance to show off the emotional side to her voice.

“Bitch” is a slow more melodic song and the gentler music contrasts nicely with Emina’s voice which has a nice snarl to it in the chorus.  During the verses she softens her voice slightly and the music and vocals work nicely.  It’s a realy good song that shows some of the versatility in her voice.

“True reason” stands out for the guitar work which is really good with a nice solo.

Emina’s CD came to me in a pile of albums to listen to, and after a quick listen to them this one really jumped out as one that I needed to listen to more, so for the last day or two it’s been played heavily (and loudly), and I have to say this is a damn good album – it’s good solid rock music with some great vocals, and is an album I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes female vocals with their rock music.

Rating: 8.5/10

“Take #1” is out now on SixtySix records

Track listing:

1. Speeding on a highway
2. Action girl
3. Long lost trace
4. I am the future
5. Don’t need words
6. Bitch
7. I’m leaving
8. Carry me
9. True reason
10. (That’s why) I’m screaming
11. Go to hell