Yep, it’s official.
This Emily Scott Robinson record SLAPS.
I was blown away with “Lightning In A Bottle,” but after giving the rest a listen, it’s clear the whole project is gold. From the crystal clear recording quality, to the catchy melodies, to the top shelf lyrics, this project is top to bottom fantastic.
So far two songs have gained more traction than the rest, one being “Cheap Seats,” which is sonically an outlier on the record but still finds its place among the best.
The song is Emily being reminded of her past while watching a hardworking waitress, reminiscing on the days she spent earning enough money to buy a ticket in the nosebleeds at The Ryman and dream about being on stage one day herself.
“Oh, I’ve been right where you are
Putting miles on my car
Driving to some dead-end job each day
Smiling for my tips
Picking up those extra shifts
Waitressing all my best years away
Some nights I’ll buy a ticket and sit alone
In the Mother Church up in the highest row.”
After an acoustic performance for Gems On VHS, she spoke about how the song came to be.
“I was watching John (Prine) play one night at the Ryman, and I got the cheap ticket with like the column in front of it. I was like ‘Oh my God, I’m in the cheap seats watching my heroes up on stage.’
Dreaming of that but knowing I’m not there yet, you know? I sort of feel like at some point most artists are working in the service industry and also doing their art, so it’s also kind of for them.”
As a former bartender and current dreamer, the whole thing hits home.
This one will get you moving a bit with its cool groove, which serves as a bit of a palate cleanser between the rest of the phenomenal, but emotional, songs.
Emily Scott Robinson is the real deal and I shouldn’t have waited this long to find that out.
And the acoustic version.