Music
Press
Fiona Apple (minus the gargle) met Broadway Thursday night at the tiny Feedback Clothing Company on Belmont. I made it out early to see emerging female vocalist Erin Manning play a handful of songs squeezed between some racks of clothes. This improvised venue was filled to capacity and atypical to the ever-stationary Nashville crowd at a writer’s night, Erin managed to stir some good foot tappin’ and even a little hip shakin’.
Yes, she’s the typical girl at a piano singing songs about love and the lack thereof, but Erin, with the backing of a full band and lady accordionist, delivered campy piano rifts paired with a vocal swing that showcased her range. The show got off to a fuzzy start but once the sound guy ironed out the feedback, the show was on track. Erin played some tunes from her arsenal like “Both Ways,” “Things Won’t Be the Same” and “I’d Be a Fool” with a vigor that her Myspace doesn't do justice.
She wrapped up the show with “You’re a Monster,” her only “angry girl” ballad of the evening, before yielding the floor to eccentric experimentalists We are the Wind. Perhaps as clever as her musical musings, Erin kept the crowd grinning in between songs with her impromptu quips aimed at anyone from the sound guy, band mates and even a random kid in the crowd. Though I picture Miss Manning on a grand instead of a keyboard and a stage instead of a show room, I look forward to her next show at the Basement on March 24 or playing with one of her more flamboyant side projects like Belty Betty. -Victoria Read
---- - The Deli Magazine
Erin Manning's EP., "The Lowest One (Next To Me)," is an exciting debut, considering Nashville's wide pool of singer/songwriters. What separate's Manning's songs from her counterparts, is her ability to command both the piano-genre, made popular by women like Fiona Apple, and the complexity of jazz/classical music, which appears to be her area of musical study. Her voice has an earnest growl that pairs nicely with syncopated vocals and polyrhythmic key pounding. With both of those stylings colliding throughout this debut, what you have is an exciting new artist positioning herself somewhere between the witty kitsch of artists like Nellie McKay and the earnestness of Missy Higgins or Brandi Carlile.
-Tiffany Minton, Nashville Femme Zine
- Nashville Femme
Discography
EP "The Lowest One, (Next to Me)"
Photos
Bio
Erin Manning is a singer/songwriter from Louisville, KY. Unlike many of her female contemporaries, Erin has a comedic edge and clever lyrics that make her more than just a girl on a keyboard with a microphone.
Grounded in a strong jazz and classical base, Erin weaves her campy Broadway style and over-the-top production with a haunting undertone, making for a distinct and dramatic experience. This sometimes chilly sound has been described as “Fiona Apple without the gargle.”
Erin’s debut EP, "The Lowest One, (Next to Me)," was released in October 2009. Though she is a solo artist, much of Erin’s music is performed with the backing of a full band. Erin has also continued to pursue side projects including songwriting for other artists, such as Steven Darden of "American Idol" and CMT’s "Can You Duet." In addition, she maintains her very own musical-theatre creation, the flamboyant and hysterical Belty Betty.
Erin is a recent graduate of Belmont University, where she briefly studied classical voice performance. Her influences range from Fiona Apple and Rufus Wainwright, to ELO and Rosemary Clooney. She has lived in Nashville for four years and plans to pursue her musical career in the Music City.
Links
