EMILY ZUZIK - TORCH & TROUBLE (out worldwide Aug 28, 2020)

about the artist

Emily Zuzik is an L.A. based Americana singer-songwriter who has planted her musical roots in a unique eclectic blend of alt-country, modern, rhythm & blues and rock music. She brings to her songs a woman’s vulnerability and strength in the tradition of Patsy Cline and Madonna.  As a singer-songwriter, her music captures the film-noir essence of Los Angeles’ haunted past infused with the soul of the Memphis Stax sound. Her songs compel and engage as they call to mind her musical kinship with Carole King and Rickie Lee Jones. Her voice is warm as she seduces the listener in a way reminiscent of Sheryl Crow and Liz Phair.  She is currently celebrating the release of her latest single Trouble, cowritten and produced by Grammy winning bassist Ted Russell Kamp (Tanya Tucker), which came out Feb. 7. Her full album, Torch & Trouble, comes out in August 2020. Trouble premiered on Twangville and has received international airplay and additional press in Ditty TV, The Alternative Root, American Songwriter Magazine’s Daily Discovery, Ear Jelly and Skope Magazine. Her second single, All that Love, which came out May 31, 2020, was met with more love and support. It aired on Ditty TV, Austin Music Television, Twangville, and international country radio.

Over the last two decades as a solo artist from San Francisco to New York to LA, Emily has released 14 solo and collaborative albums, EPs and singles. Most recently, her 2017 three-song EP Tender, cowritten and produced with Geoff Pearlman (Echo in the Canyon, Shelby Lynne, Jakob Dylan) includes the blue-eyed soul of the title song, met with critical acclaim.

ABOUT TORCH & TROUBLE

Emily’s latest album, Torch & Trouble, is a well-focused blend of earthy singer-songwriter centered Americana music.  The thread of meaning that runs through the ten-song collection is hope, redemption & faith in love even as we face daily conflict, change and challenge. 

Torch & Trouble opens with two songs that set the standard and the place of this collection, “Stay Wild,” and “Get It Right,” are steady lyric-driven rockers that powerfully illustrate the album’s themes.  The Torch of the album title is found in songs like the haunting, “Shadows,” (a Yo La Tengo cover) and the country tinged “All that Love.”  There are also straightforward romantic ballads, “Embers,” and “Magic.”   The lighter side of the collection is provided by the appealing Tom-Waits like “Chinese Food and Donuts.” The epic country ballad, “Wild Mustangs,” tells a story with a cinematic sweep about the great American horse who becomes a symbol of our lost humanity. The closing song “The Band Plays On” affirms the redemption of the human spirit; a closing homage to the enduring joy and life-giving energy found in music.

 Emily Zuzik’s Torch & Trouble promises to be one of the best Americana albums of 2020. (out May 15, 2020)

-by Terry Paul Roland

SINGLES

ALL THAT LOVE (released May 29, 2020)

All that Love is the story of closure and forgiveness. The song is about a relationship that didn’t work out the way you originally thought. It looks at the home that was built, like a relationship, that appeared good and solid on the outside, but the cracks eventually caused it to break apart. It’s a tale of recovery, forgiveness and letting go. Parts of the lyrics were inspired by the Willard Robison and Larry Conley song, A Cottage for Sale.

All that Love was written by Emily Zuzik and Benji Rogers. The video for All the Love was shot by Emily and Cynthia Brando, and edited by Emily Zuzik during quarantine. Special thanks go to Capt. Jody Smith for location scouting and spare tire help on the off roads.

RECORDING DETAILS

Vocals/Acoustic Guitar: Emily Zuzik, Electric Guitar: John Schreffler, Pedal Steel/Backing Vocals: Dan Wistrom, Backing Vocals: Hilary Hearty, Bass: Ted Russell Kamp, Drums: Christopher Allis Produced by Ted Russell Kamp, Mixed by Mark Rains/Station House Studios and Mastered by Duncan Stanbury/Groove Mastering

TROUBLE (released Feb. 7, 2020)

Trouble was the first song co-written with Benji Rogers (Marwood) in New York City. The two went on to write several other songs and tour England, Ireland and Scotland with Ari Hest in 2006. The song was re-opened and contributed to by Ted Russell Kamp in 2018.

Trouble is the tale of one woman's story with a love interest that is no good and not the happily ever after, but that's OK. She's confident enough to handle that and frankly, the game is more fun than the ending. 

It's loosely based on a former flame who embodied that kind of trouble and who LOVED to play games. There were a lot of late nights in NYC bars back then. You met folks like this all the time, especially around last call, on both sides of the relationship. Benji was a bartender and Emily had bartended before, so the stories were familiar and writing the song came very quickly.

RECORDING DETAILS

Vocals/Acoustic Guitar: Emily Zuzik, Electric Guitar: John Schreffler, Backing Vocals: Hilary Hearty, Bass: Ted Russell Kamp, Drums: Christopher Allis Produced by Ted Russell Kamp, Mixed by Mark Rains/Station House Studios and Mastered by Duncan Stanbury/Groove Mastering