Emily West - "That Kind Of Happy"

[rowdawg21]

Sent out to radio today, goes for adds on April 6th.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Good I was hoping that they'd give her another chance, she's really great. I don't know why they didn't release Mississippi's Cryin' though as that is a smash waiting to happen. Also other than Emily does Capitol have any other female artists?

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Mar 16, 2009 14:21:55 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Also other than Emily does Capitol have any other female artists?

Not unless you count the two from Little Big Town or the lady 1/3 of Lady Antebellum.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Hmm that's a shame I always seem to like the female artists they sign but they never seem to succeed. (Jennifer Hanson, Amber Dotson, Cyndi Thomson, The Jenkins, Ashley Ray, Suzy Bogguss, Deana Carter, etc.)

[zaclord]

i am soooooooooo happy they are giving her another chance! I absolutely love her voice and "Blue Sky" is such an amazing song! i would love it if that were released at some point.

cant wait to hear this! I hope it goes at least top 20!

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Mar 16, 2009 23:34:47 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Ashley Ray

Who?

And I would hardly call Suzy Bogguss unsuccessful. Never mind that she was on Liberty for most of her successful period (1991-1994). But hey, Liberty was Capitol Nashville at the time.

[zaclord]

Ashley Ray had an EP on iTunes, but never got a single released.

i really like this! i pray it does well for her!

[kevin59]

Listen To Song (Allaccess)

[LISTEN] Emily West - "That Kind Of Happy"

[Kanenrá:ke]

Yeah I had high hopes for Ashley Ray but it looks like they've already dropped her. I'm sure someone else will pick her up though.

and yeah Suzy Bogguss was probably the most sucessful one but it didn't last long.

[rsmatto]

Mar 16, 2009 23:34:47 GMT -5 Kanenrá:ke said:

Hmm that's a shame I always seem to like the female artists they sign but they never seem to succeed. (Jennifer Hanson, Amber Dotson, Cyndi Thomson, The Jenkins, Ashley Ray, Suzy Bogguss, Deana Carter, etc.)

Suzy, Deana and Cyndi WERE successful for the label. Deana just was too offbeat to sustain that success past the 2nd CD. Cyndi derailed her OWN career by quitting.

I never liked Ashley Ray's music. I saw her sing live last fall and I just didn't get it. If I remember correctly, she won some contest that guaranteed the EP release.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Oh well I reread what I wrote and you're right, what I really meant to say was sustained a career, none of them except maybe Suzy, could you really say that about.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

The 9513:

The greatest injustice in mainstream country music during 2008 was the fact that Emily West’s debut single “Rocks in Your Shoes” wasn’t a massive, format-defining hit.

With “Rocks,” West delivered a brilliant performance on an infectious, fun and thematically substantial contemporary-country up-tempo tune that should have marked the emergence of one of the most talented female country artists in a generation.

Emily West is just that. She is an absolutely phenomenal technical singer with a buoyant, quirky personality that radiates trough a richly textured voice–a voice which reminds us that there are singers and then there are singers.

So if there’s anything surprising about her second single, it’s not that she sounds great–we had every reason to expect that she would–but that she completely nails this in every sense; it’s a tremendous performance, one above and beyond the high standards she already set with “Rocks” and the self-penned “Blue Sky” (an as-of-yet unreleased tear-jerker that she sang, in epic fashion, on the Opry last year).

“That Kind of Happy” is a frenetic rocker that takes the whole “tempo” concept and blows it out of the water. In a way, the arrangement of this song is beautifully eccentric, with the chorus culminating in a swell of energy that somehow maintains more semblance of melody than most contemporary songs ever achieve.

That fact alone makes this a very unique specimen within the current format, one where so much of what we hear borders on quick-paced recitation. Country music has become littered with songs jam-packed with lyrics, placing the focus on rhythm and leaving little space for melodic embellishment.

In this case, there is so much melodic variation throughout the course of the song that it may come off as indulgent, and there’s a possibility that listeners who are used to hearing essentially the same track over and over will walk away from this feeling exhausted. That, however, is more due to the condition of the format than to the song itself.

To the contrary, “That Kind of Happy” is an exhilarating musical trek, one which only a singer as good as West could possibly embark on without having the final product sound campy and forced. Here, West’s voice is incomparably fluid between the soft notes in the verses and the soaring highs of the chorus. This is a nuanced and intriguing performance, and there is so much happening vocally that it really takes multiple listens to appreciate everything West accomplishes.

Wrap it all up in an engrossing lyric with an unforgettable hook, and West has delivered yet another piece of evidence that she’s the real deal. In fact, when you factor in her talent as a writer, her stage presence, the character of her voice, her technical proficiency, her uniqueness and her personality, it’s hard to think she’s not the most talented female newcomer this decade.

Country radio: play this. Country fans: buy this.

[thumbs up]

Wow, that's a glowing review. I should add that I liked "Rocks in Your Shoes", which was the only non-Christmas Top 40 hit in all of 2008 that I somehow never heard on the radio at all.

[Minimalism]

This is a very infectious song for sure, though I sensed a little overproduction. I also loved "Rocks In Your Shoes".

She's pretty, has a good voice, blonde, young, and has delivered two well-executed, insanely catchy singles. I wonder why she hasn't blown up already. What else does country radio require?

[e-strings]

Mar 23, 2009 1:35:32 GMT -5 Minimalism said:

She's pretty, has a good voice, blonde, young, and has delivered two well-executed, insanely catchy singles. I wonder why she hasn't blown up already. What else does country radio require?

Reality TV exposure.

What's up with the "skipping" effect? Is it intentional or just bad editting? Other than that, it's a good song. I like the vocal range. Emily rocks my socks... which are in my shoes. ;)

Edit to add: It deserves mentioning that this song was written by Sherrie Austin, Will Rambeaux, and Mallory Hope.

[gallopinggold]

wow. totally love it. Hope this one does better than the stellar previous single. I'm a fan and will support her.

[The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷]

Thats a good song
Not better than "Rocks In Your Shoes" but still really nice!
I hope she can do better in the charts with this one...

[gallopinggold]

single now on iTunes. Something about her is really refreshing to me.

[mairy]

This is the cover: