Concert Review: Emma Frank Balances Life And Death
Listening to Emma Frank play from her debut, Come Back, I kept on thinking of Life and Death. No, my bus ride to Knitting Factory was not almost hit by a crater, which left me traumatized and contemplating my spiritual choices. Instead, the beauty of her music lies in its ability to balance fragility. Even the strongest man on earth will die, the most powerful guy within this planet has to go to the bathroom, and even the wealthiest need to sleep. There is a basic code/ need within humanity, but to, Emma Frank, the question is whether that need includes love.
Emma Frank – Before You Go Away (Official Music Video)
I, too, have wondered if Love is a necessity. Technically, you could live without love: without people that love you and without loving people. Some politicians and Pennywise The Clown do it everyday. Yet, if love truly is, solely, a desire does that not make it more beautiful? “Before You Go Away,” “Promises,” and “See You” had Emma Frank singing to love, clarity, and inner peace as if they were the boldest choices people could make for themselves and their relationships, which they are. Everyone has, at least once, said, “I don’t want to fight anymore.” Frank’s voice cusps this phrase like a white butterfly has landed in her palm. She vocally stares, caresses, and ponders upon it, as if saying “Please, no more fighting” is the equivalent to turning a new chapter.
Emma Frank – I Thought (Official Music Video)
On stage, Emma is pure elegance. She speaks as if she is silence deciding to hold a conversation; emanating that she is a woman who has looked outside a window, on a rainy day, and wondered…. that is it……wondered. Questioned whether the sun would come out later or whether she is a “sunny” person. Even her smile felt quietly bright; a symbol of how effervescent her voice is in flow. She, literally, sounds like how I would imagine a gemstone would sound: strong, forceful, and delicate like a fist holding a flower. The result was a show that made its patrons feel cool and smart like, a person enjoying jazz over some gin. (Note: my sense of “cool” clearly belongs in 1938) For More Information On Emma Frank Click Here.
