Acclaimed indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and Melbourne rhythm combo The PutBacks come together to bring you Dawn an LP of hard hitting and heartfelt soul songs telling stories of grief, struggle and redemption. Dawn is a gritty, uniquely Australian record, simultaneously classic and contemporary. The songwriting is in turns optimistic, angry and melancholic, and on occasions bruisingly honest. The music is fluid, live and raw, recorded in one room on eight channels of analog tape and the electric connection between Emma and the band comes through in every beat.
Dawn takes some cues from the burgeoning soul revival, but its a far looser interpretation than many releases in the style. This is no attempt at reviving a bygone era. Theres no horn section. Theres more rock in there. Theres more country in there. Theres more, in Emmas words, blackfella music in there. The songwriting is more akin to classic Aboriginal bands like Coloured Stone than it is to Sharon Jones. The sentiment is personal, for both Emma and the band, and forward looking, rather than revivalist. Shades of every soul record you ever liked sneak through: Al Greens Hi Records era? Check. Arethas Classic Atlantic recordings? Check. Stacks of Stax? Check. Its all there, but all different. Dawn is its own thing, indigenous Australian soul. From the ferocious opening salvo of Black Woman to the sweet and gentle comedown of Over Under Away, Dawn is above all a journey through Emmas life written in song.
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