Concert Review: Emily Kinney
Emily Kinney has garnered a following based on her acting roles, such as in The Walking Dead. Yet, while we grow accustomed to seeing musicians in film, it is not the same, mindful transition when seeing actors turn up their own record. Yet, Emily Kinney’s performance, at Public Arts, showed why stars on screen CAN transfer unto singers on the stage because, technically, it is not a change for them.
In the same past decade that Kinney has grown her acting career, she has also been furthering her music one, and her show embodied how the two have altered the other. To Kinney, a stage is like a public, therapy session, and we are the ones she is confiding/ confessing the stories that inspired her songs. After listening to Oh Jonathan, it was enriching to see that someone so bubbly and winsome was also deeply analytical and seeking of wisdom. I always say that to be a kind person is the platform to becoming a wiser one, but, again, in this world we tether people to lanes and labels. Often, we forget that what we do for others does influence what we do for/ to ourselves, and Kinney vocally expresses this truth as if a song truly is a character’s soliloquy
In tracks like, “Drunk and Lost,” “Mermaid Song,” and “Loser,” Kinney presents her work as a clear marker for her self-growth. It is as if each song is an aligning scratch on a kitchen wall to see how tall her spirit has become from childhood to womanhood. Her voice lines like a soft chisel and a gentle nail prickling at our hardened hearts to make us see every weak moment we have is, in truth, an instance of strength. This was especially prevalent when she went acapella for “Dad Says,” and we were able to witness how deep her musicality is connected with the frame of her spirituality. She is a singing soul trying to figure out life, and the results are songs that will make you laugh, cry, but, above all else, feel less alone.
From “Same Mistakes” to “Boy Band Hero,” Kinney displayed our relationships indelibly carry lessons for us. Though we bond with people out of love, it is because of that, we inevitably learn. Kinney delivers such wealthy sapience with a pixie personality, coy grin, a literal glockenspiel, and doting partner/ fellow wildcard, Paul McDonald, on guitar. She is a literal star in every platform/ form. For More Information Emily Kinney Click Here.
