Emanuela – You Had It Coming (Album Review)

I’m pretty sure in the world of commercial pop music, there is a faction of people who desire something that emanates the feel of soul and rhythm and blues. A way to infuse a bit of jazz and self-expression in a world of commercialism. This artist you see in the image provided will definitely aid you in quenching your thirst for such a genre. In today’s review, we will explore the world of the Italian singer-songwriter Emanuela and her latest release, titled ‘You Had It Coming’. The album is co-produced by herself as well as Daniel Chamorro.

The release represents Emanuela’s raw and honest take on life, including its highs and lows. Its unique lyrics and defined musical identity also make it a pop experience mixed with funk and R&B. In its formulation, it strives to counteract the current monotonous wave of popular music.

The album contains 10 tracks plus the acoustic version of the lead single, ‘Boy Like You’. In essence, it describes a journey through very contrasting emotions: pride, grief, rage and resentment, fear of the future, as well as love.
With ‘You Had It Coming‘, Emanuela makes a statement about herself as a young independent artist, creating a musical universe where everyone is welcome, seen and understood. Let’s dive deeper into the album.

Throughout the album, I got the feel that the first half of this album was venturing into a very classically ‘indie’ musical format- which makes the aim of the album a little strange. It is not a bad album by any means- Emanuela has a very strong voice and no real musical flaws with the quality of her singing, but except for various flares within her songs, such as a couple of bars of instrumentation, the release isn’t as unique as it was set out to be. It has elements of mid 2000s funk-pop, definitely, but under a general soundscape of songs that already sound as if it wanted to be different. Think along the lines of songs like ‘Ur So Gay’ by Katy Perry.

There is a plus point when it comes to the composition, but something about the production truly throws me off. It lacks a certain crisp to turn the album from a mere ‘another indie-like’ act to an actual, irrefutable body of work. I think a lot of this also revolves around sound selection, as it does sound a little outdated instead of seizing advances in musical technology.

The second half of the album is actually much better than the first half of the album, choosing to delve into genres with more of a punch and a strong musical identity to it. For once, I feel like the tracks give justice to the description of the album itself. It ventures into a more musically forward direction, still retaining a little bit of its time-period bias, but with much better mastering as well as execution. In a better turn of worlds, the production and the vocal work reminds me of artists like Bjork, as well as Fiona Apple.

On the bright side, Emanuela does strike me as someone who has the preliminary seeds to be on par with artists like Amy Winehouse. There is a beautiful timbre to her voice, and a strength to her highest notes, as well as a delicate tone to her lower notes. It does fit the matrix of influences that crowd her album.

I can definitely tell that even with the pitfalls of the album, a lot of effort was put into the album itself. And that itself is commendable from a compositional perspective. The release indeed, oozes all kinds of feelings, from jazz to even some of neo-soul. I just think a little bit needs to be done to truly make the work exceptional. And as a result, I do think Emanuela is truly an artist to look out for. There is a lot of potential in her artistry.

Score/Excellent: Emanuela croons her way through a soundscape that reminds you a little bit of the indie scene as well as the ‘creative freedom’ that came with certain works in the 90s and 2000s. Even though ‘You Had It Coming’ had certain pitfalls in terms of musicology, the second half of the album definitely shines beyond mediocrity. Definitely an artist to look out for.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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