Music
Press
So, in search of learning more about the Montreal based band She's Got A Habit, I learned that lead singer Emma Frank recorded a great ep with an all acoustic band blending her soulful & folk inspired vocals blend with jazzier rhythms & it's also a FREE DOWNLOAD! - Soundrotation
So, in search of learning more about the Montreal based band She's Got A Habit, I learned that lead singer Emma Frank recorded a great ep with an all acoustic band blending her soulful & folk inspired vocals blend with jazzier rhythms & it's also a FREE DOWNLOAD! - http://soundrotation.blogspot.com/2011/01/emma-frank-quintet-binocular.html
"stunning vocals" - The Couch Sessions
"deep, subtle and soulful vocals" - The Incubator Blog
"deep, subtle and soulful vocals" - The Incubator Blog
"Let It Go," the standout track on Emma Frank's humble online home, starts with a few soft chords, offbeat hits against a snare's rim, and a simple kick to reminds us where the cycle starts. For the next three minutes, the local vocalist blissfully explores the nuances of notes she seems tied to only at arm's length. Blending ever-tasteful vibrato, natural scats, and soothing melodies, the song shows off the best parts of whatever neo-soul meant to be, its restraint more rewarding with each listen.
When I first complimented Emma on her ability to add depth to sometimes straightforward vocal lines, she wrote it off as being "just Jazz," effectively downplaying her talent and the fact that she applies similar techniques to her multiple pop forays. Online, this is evident in the first single from her newest project, She's Got a Habit, in which spacey synths and rolling beats provide the backbone for the adaptable songstress's musings. And in real life, the jazz-pop amalgamation came to the fore during the Emma Frank Quartet's second set at Dièse Onze earlier this month. Highlights included a prodding cover of Bjork's "Unison", and of course busy-stickman Phil Melanson's facial expressions. ("Feeling" doesn't even approach an accurate description of the experience that is watching Phil coax his drums.)
During that set, the band balanced experiments beyond jazz's realm while staying true to the purpose of the dimly lit Saint-Denis lounge. Following the stirring build-up around said cover's "I never thought I would compromise", the Frank-penned "Go Running" led the band into a disco-jazz territory before a remarkable dose of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright". While the original relies upon a subtly simple yet powerful chord pattern, the Quartet brought the changes to an undefined but oft-cited 'next level'. But what's really exciting about this band is there ability to play off each other, each musician serving an equal (and between the vocals and saxophone, sometimes indistinguishable) role in the sound. See them when you can. - a montreal-based music blog
"Let It Go," the standout track on Emma Frank's humble online home, starts with a few soft chords, offbeat hits against a snare's rim, and a simple kick to reminds us where the cycle starts. For the next three minutes, the local vocalist blissfully explores the nuances of notes she seems tied to only at arm's length. Blending ever-tasteful vibrato, natural scats, and soothing melodies, the song shows off the best parts of whatever neo-soul meant to be, its restraint more rewarding with each listen.
When I first complimented Emma on her ability to add depth to sometimes straightforward vocal lines, she wrote it off as being "just Jazz," effectively downplaying her talent and the fact that she applies similar techniques to her multiple pop forays. Online, this is evident in the first single from her newest project, She's Got a Habit, in which spacey synths and rolling beats provide the backbone for the adaptable songstress's musings. And in real life, the jazz-pop amalgamation came to the fore during the Emma Frank Quartet's second set at Dièse Onze earlier this month. Highlights included a prodding cover of Bjork's "Unison", and of course busy-stickman Phil Melanson's facial expressions. ("Feeling" doesn't even approach an accurate description of the experience that is watching Phil coax his drums.)
During that set, the band balanced experiments beyond jazz's realm while staying true to the purpose of the dimly lit Saint-Denis lounge. Following the stirring build-up around said cover's "I never thought I would compromise", the Frank-penned "Go Running" led the band into a disco-jazz territory before a remarkable dose of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's Alright". While the original relies upon a subtly simple yet powerful chord pattern, the Quartet brought the changes to an undefined but oft-cited 'next level'. But what's really exciting about this band is there ability to play off each other, each musician serving an equal (and between the vocals and saxophone, sometimes indistinguishable) role in the sound. See them when you can. - a montreal-based music blog
Discography
How We Let Go - July 23rd, 2013
Binocular EP - January, 2011
Photos
Bio
Depending on when you walk in on a song, the Emma Frank Quartet might sound like folk or jazz, even R&B. It’s music that never stays put, full of moving parts, shifting tempos, winding melodies. The lyrics are honest, open conversations on love and life—journeys that aim for insight, not easy answers. Lately people have compared Emma’s voice and songwriting to a young Joni Mitchell. It has a breathy somersaulting quality that tumbles into warm, dark valleys, a voice that Leif Vollebeck described as “leather on silk.” The band, made up of some of Montreal’s most creative musicians – Phil Melanson on drums, Isis Giraldo on piano, and Hans Bernard on bass - brings an improvisational spirit to the songs, lending a tumultuous, almost ticklish quality to Emma’s compositions. Their first album together, “How We Let Go,” will be released July 23rd at Casa del Popolo.
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