Black Sunday ’35 – Emi Sunshine and The Rain
Emi Sunshine is a very
energetic and charismatic performer and you can feel that energy streaming
through your speakers as well as if you’d seen her live. “Little Weeping
Willow” sets the tone with a subject that is much more mature than what
you would expect from a 10 year old girl as with all the other songs she writes
and picks out to sing here. She holds nothing back in tracks like “Mathew”, “Blue For You” and “My Time To Fly” and
the title track about the dust bowl, “Black Sunday ’35”, gives me
chills and goose bumps. So does “Sweet Lillie”, a song that makes me
think about a young Dolly Parton. If I am to make any more comparisons, which I
never prefer to do, I can also mention Brenda Lee. This girl can stand to be
compared with the best, but has her own very unique and distinct style of an
eclectic mix of roots music. Emi Sunshine has everything of a seasoned
performer in her with the essence of Appalachian mountain mist and tragedy, but
also gratitude towards God for her mom, for her life and everything around her.
She knows how to convey the soul of America to the listener. The entire album
is history in the making in a double sense.
energetic and charismatic performer and you can feel that energy streaming
through your speakers as well as if you’d seen her live. “Little Weeping
Willow” sets the tone with a subject that is much more mature than what
you would expect from a 10 year old girl as with all the other songs she writes
and picks out to sing here. She holds nothing back in tracks like “Mathew”, “Blue For You” and “My Time To Fly” and
the title track about the dust bowl, “Black Sunday ’35”, gives me
chills and goose bumps. So does “Sweet Lillie”, a song that makes me
think about a young Dolly Parton. If I am to make any more comparisons, which I
never prefer to do, I can also mention Brenda Lee. This girl can stand to be
compared with the best, but has her own very unique and distinct style of an
eclectic mix of roots music. Emi Sunshine has everything of a seasoned
performer in her with the essence of Appalachian mountain mist and tragedy, but
also gratitude towards God for her mom, for her life and everything around her.
She knows how to convey the soul of America to the listener. The entire album
is history in the making in a double sense.
Production wise the album is laid back with a very acoustic,
unplugged feel to it, letting the songs and the vocals take their rightful
place in the spotlight. Looking at the cover you can see shiny, burnt orange
framing a picture of a whirling dust-saturated wind coming at you. That is
exactly what Emi Sunshine is. She comes at you with doom and gloom and exalting
positive news at the same time. She knows how to tell a story, whether it is
sad or joyful. Without explanations, Emi knows what life is without having to
say a word: she sings it instead. If there ever was an album that wins on being
listened to as is, song by song. this is it. You can buy it one digital file at
a time, but might as well buy it as a whole, because you will end up wanting
more – ending up with all the songs anyway.
unplugged feel to it, letting the songs and the vocals take their rightful
place in the spotlight. Looking at the cover you can see shiny, burnt orange
framing a picture of a whirling dust-saturated wind coming at you. That is
exactly what Emi Sunshine is. She comes at you with doom and gloom and exalting
positive news at the same time. She knows how to tell a story, whether it is
sad or joyful. Without explanations, Emi knows what life is without having to
say a word: she sings it instead. If there ever was an album that wins on being
listened to as is, song by song. this is it. You can buy it one digital file at
a time, but might as well buy it as a whole, because you will end up wanting
more – ending up with all the songs anyway.
Emi Sunshine has already performed as a guest
artist on the
Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman several times and been featured on the
nationwide TV broadcast the Today morning show. She is going to sign her
album “Black Sunday
’35” tonight after the Grand Ole Opry show.
artist on the
Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman several times and been featured on the
nationwide TV broadcast the Today morning show. She is going to sign her
album “Black Sunday
’35” tonight after the Grand Ole Opry show.
Shelley Ridge for Country Music News International Magazine