Emily Davis; Troubadour; conjure woman; ritual maker; story teller. Sometimes black hearted, with whiskey soaked vocals this chanteuse has walked the line since her inception in this life as a singer-songwriter. Bringing dark country, swampy blues and gypsy heartache to her latest edition of works, on her sophomore release ‘Undone’ her tale telling, reflections and musings strike straight through the heart.

‘I love writing about forbidden love, death, and past lives. Gothic themes, lucid dreams.They all add a beautiful texture to my subconscious musings. The next step, after you stop being afraid of the dark, is to start writing about it, ’ says Davis.

The quintessential singer-songwriter, Davis has spent the past 10 years crafting her narrative into something tactile, visceral and rich in imagery. Having successfully made the transition from anguished teen poet to respected lyricist, Davis’ take on the role of a songwriter is equal parts organic and dreamlike.

‘I want my songs to renew old traditions; To remember those who have fallen, and to bring to life the eerie events of my often spectacularly dark dream world.’

Marking a stylistic change from her debut album, ‘Moving in Slow Motion’ (produced by Aria award winner Monique Brumby), Davis’ second release ‘Undone’ was inspired by the rich earthy sounds of her childhood, and travelling to far off lands, where she found a surprise appreciation for gypsy, blues and country music . With influences including Johnny Cash, Ryan Adams, Emmy-Lou Harris, Tom Waits and A Hawk and a Hacksaw, ‘Undone” covers the full range of country (but with a carnival twist), blues (in a vampire kind of way) and folk (accented with the hopeful tinker of banjos and mandolins).

The move from contemporary pop songstress to gutsy blues and roots band leader was driven by an identity shift to get to the bottom of who Emily Davis really is. ‘Undone’ features soaring Pedal Steel, tinkering banjo, driving percussion and strolling basslines, with uplifting textures from the fiddle, mandolin and accordion. While the industry has now driven itself to a new gimmicky high in the wake of over-produced pop diva’s, Davis is convinced that sometimes all you need is a voice, a guitar and a half decent story to tell.

‘I’m not sure whether it’s being half-Lebanese, or half country Australian. Telling stories is something that has been handed down to me by my still-standing grand matriarchs. While they’ve not shared their recipes, they have shared the power of keeping history, loved ones and culture alive through story.’

Emily Davis recorded ‘Undone’ with her band The Open Road, a crew of seasoned heavyweights and old musical flames. Steve Pederson (guitars, banjo, mandolin) and Mel Horsman (drums) came from Davis’ first successful band, ‘The Sunday Brides’, and their own respective ventures ‘Junior’ and ‘Highway 31’. On their way back, they recruited new double bassist Jamie Harrison for the ride. Harrison, a softly spoken, yet inquisitive man provided a steady bottom end for the blues and bluegrass textures on the album, proving he’s a keeper. Davis celebrated the gravity of experience and patience that these career musicians brought to the table.

While live tracking took place at Broadcast Studios with engineer Evan James at the desk, Steve Pederson took the reins for a series of home recording sessions, catching some of Davis’s most intimate and emotive vocal tracks on the record. Davis also invited emerging talents David Marino (piano accordion), Craig Atkins (percussion), Tori Phillips (fiddle) and Mikki Ross (keys) to work their magic as only young, fresh exuberant musicians can. The result? A lush album, covering diverse genres, sewn together with breathtaking vocals.

‘Some players are so intuitive; I’ll never forget the first day we jammed ‘The Broken Machine’, for recording. I couldn’t believe how close my band was to capturing that original sound I’d heard in my head; when it was just a passing thought. It was as though they had been there, that day I first heard the melody, sitting in my subconscious taking notes. The entire album is built on moments like that.’

Just one week after its release "Undone" charted at #2 on the 3D Radio charts staying in the top #20 for over 5 weeks. It was named feature album on RadioAdelaide and ABC Brisbane, with ABC National picking ‘Undone’ up for national rotation. Her single, ‘Conjure Woman Blues’ a vampy swampy vintage blues tale of love gone wrong, has also been picked up by Triple J’s Sarah Howells on the Roots N’ All program and played over consecutive weeks. Fans and media in Australia are coming to realise this album is a definitive moment in Davis’ career, and are steadily pouring onto the support wagon.

Understanding the power of the road, Emily is currently planning an Australian National tour in the coming months, off the back of ‘Undone’. Not a stranger to touring or to big stages, the release of her critically acclaimed debut album “Moving in Slow Motion” catapulted her to the stages of WomAdelaide, Peatsridge Festival and Semaphore Music Fest, and won her supports with Clare Bowditch, C W Stoneking and Kate-Miller Heidke. With live performance skills described as ‘utterly absorbing’ DB Magazine, and ‘breathtaking’ Rip It Up, it’s no surprise that Davis accumulated such bright feathers for her cap.

So with ‘Undone’, comes an unravelling; an unwinding. Ghosts speak to their living lovers, vampires curse their impossible truth, a daughter remembers her long lost Spartan father. Past life lovers reconnect, over and over, wishing for a different fate. Whether darkness comes from consequence or chaos, the end result is the same. In tragedy we find triumph. In hate we find love. And above all, from cold solid stone, a painfully sharp chisel has the power to create a beautiful sculpture.
 

‘A class act’ ABC Peter Goers

"Davis is the real deal. Reminiscent in some respects to Natalie Merchant, Davis's songs are soulfully colourful, her voice is smooth and her compositions are mature. With the right song she'll be catapulted to the highest echelons of her profession."
- Steve Davenport, Music Sa

" A delightful education on the finer side of music."
- Poprepublic.tv