A show that promises to be an intimate event featuring an upcoming artist who describes her music as Texan country with a twist of Delta Blues must be something worth seeing, right?
Wrong. Newcomer Emily Herring’s October 8 show at the Bluebird Café in downtown Athens left more than a lot to be desired. It left pretty much everything.
The acoustic show featured a mixture of classic covers and Herring’s own material from her self-produced debut album “My Tears Will Be Relieved” (2005). Wailing away at inaudible lyrics and grasping at uneasy vocal transitions, Herring made it nearly impossible to identify the songs she was singing.
Appearing at ease with her guitar perched on her lap and the microphone in front of her, Herring simply tried too hard. If she had performed music that enhanced her vocal capabilities, her concert wouldn’t have been half bad. But, in her quest to be an edgy new artist, Herring butchered her show with overdone vocals that were at best a growling montage of noise.
Attributing her strongest musical influence to Merle Haggard, Herring seemed to be aiming for the country music legend’s classic honky-tonk sound. This was her biggest mistake. Noticeably forced, her voice carried a cringe-inducing twang that resulted in a nasally disaster. Herring’s vocal abilities appeared to be more suited for slower, soft ballads than for the upbeat, catchy songs she performed.
While Herring’s guitar performances were much better than her intolerable, screechy vocals, the instrumental aspect of the show was still not great. I was able to catch a few fleeting glimpses of musical talent in Herring’s guitar skills, but not enough to overshadow the fact that most of her songs were missing a key element—rhythm.
Masked by Herring’s catastrophe of a show, some of her songs are surprisingly well written. (I only found this out by looking up the lyrics online.) Her signature tune “Has Country Gone to Hell?” is dedicated to her idol Haggard and advocates freedom of speech and the separation of religion from politics. “Don’t Step it Up and Go” features a light-hearted, bluesy melody and has some degree of potential. Maybe Herring should just stick to the songwriting and let someone else perform the songs.
Only about half of the dozen tables at the café were occupied and most of the patrons appeared to have stopped in just to grab something to eat. A few drunken guys and a couple of children seemed to be the only ones enjoying Herring’s performance while everyone else seemed to (or at least tried to) ignore it.
The sad part about this shambles of a show is that it actually sounded better than Herring’s album. However, at least with the album, I had the privilege to shut off Herring’s tortuous howl.
If this artist ever makes it big as a performer, then I will have an answer for Herring's question. Yes, country definately has gone to hell.
Wrong. Newcomer Emily Herring’s October 8 show at the Bluebird Café in downtown Athens left more than a lot to be desired. It left pretty much everything.
The acoustic show featured a mixture of classic covers and Herring’s own material from her self-produced debut album “My Tears Will Be Relieved” (2005). Wailing away at inaudible lyrics and grasping at uneasy vocal transitions, Herring made it nearly impossible to identify the songs she was singing.
Appearing at ease with her guitar perched on her lap and the microphone in front of her, Herring simply tried too hard. If she had performed music that enhanced her vocal capabilities, her concert wouldn’t have been half bad. But, in her quest to be an edgy new artist, Herring butchered her show with overdone vocals that were at best a growling montage of noise.
Attributing her strongest musical influence to Merle Haggard, Herring seemed to be aiming for the country music legend’s classic honky-tonk sound. This was her biggest mistake. Noticeably forced, her voice carried a cringe-inducing twang that resulted in a nasally disaster. Herring’s vocal abilities appeared to be more suited for slower, soft ballads than for the upbeat, catchy songs she performed.
While Herring’s guitar performances were much better than her intolerable, screechy vocals, the instrumental aspect of the show was still not great. I was able to catch a few fleeting glimpses of musical talent in Herring’s guitar skills, but not enough to overshadow the fact that most of her songs were missing a key element—rhythm.
Masked by Herring’s catastrophe of a show, some of her songs are surprisingly well written. (I only found this out by looking up the lyrics online.) Her signature tune “Has Country Gone to Hell?” is dedicated to her idol Haggard and advocates freedom of speech and the separation of religion from politics. “Don’t Step it Up and Go” features a light-hearted, bluesy melody and has some degree of potential. Maybe Herring should just stick to the songwriting and let someone else perform the songs.
Only about half of the dozen tables at the café were occupied and most of the patrons appeared to have stopped in just to grab something to eat. A few drunken guys and a couple of children seemed to be the only ones enjoying Herring’s performance while everyone else seemed to (or at least tried to) ignore it.
The sad part about this shambles of a show is that it actually sounded better than Herring’s album. However, at least with the album, I had the privilege to shut off Herring’s tortuous howl.
If this artist ever makes it big as a performer, then I will have an answer for Herring's question. Yes, country definately has gone to hell.
—Amy Chance
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