Emma Donovan

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I first really got to know Emma Donovan when I was working on Uncle Archie's album.

 

Everybody was raving about Emma. I knew her reputation, but I hadn't had the pleasure of working with her before.

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When she came in we played ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee’. From the very first note she sang, it was extraordinary. I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't expect her to sound like that. It was very, very powerful. Very compelling and simply beautiful. She has this incredible quality to her voice. You know, some people are just belters and make fantastical soul singers. She has all that but so much more - she's has this velvety kind of tone in her voice, which just makes it so beautiful to listen to. Her voice possesses power, but warmth and softness as well. It's a very dynamic combination. 

 

I was really interested in creating something to do with hymns and I mentioned this to her. Not just gospel music but harking back to the original hymns of yesteryear. She explained that that was in fact her roots, that her family, the Donovan family, were known for singing at funerals and that hymns were in her family songbook. Her grandfather, Mick, had written a whole lot of songs in that style. 

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We created a new show together called The Rugged Cross. We’ve performed the pieces as a duet and also with a band. She loves the band, but she told me she really loves the freedom of working in the duo format. She feels like she can just improvise and try things and not be sort of encased within a band that pushes the music into a genre. 

 

When I hear Emma sing, I'm always reminded of Auntie Ruby. I really hear Auntie Ruby in what she does too. And that was a very specific kind of voice. I mean, Auntie Ruby was kind of our Nina Simone in a way. Now we have Emma, carrying the mantle.