Emily Nenni (from the album Drive & Cry

Emily Nenni (from the album Drive & Cry

Emily Nenni (from the album Drive & Cry available on New West Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

The spirit of Patsy Cline looms large over the new album by Emily Nenni. The sentiments are summed up by the title, Drive & Cry, given its blend of pure Honky Tonk energy and tears in the beer ballads that reflect both sides of Nenni’s archival influences. She is, by turns, both sassy and soulful, but her music is bound up in a Classic Country template. Although she says her initial intention was simply to be a songwriter, she shows her prowess as a performer is clearly a match for her song crafting skills.
 
The album also benefits from a change of locale, given that her last effort, 2022’s On the Ranch, was recorded while working on a ranch in Colorado, and Drive & Cry finds her benefitting from time spent honing her skills in Nashville’s nightclubs, bars, and honky tonks. Her enthusiasm can’t be denied, and it’s evident from the outset, courtesy of the celebratory sound of “Get to Know Ya” which finds her basking in the joys found in spending a night out with her cares and concerns behind her. 'Play ‘til the sun’ll come / when the daylight’s done’ she sings over a resolute refrain.

The rest of the set follows suit, and Emily Nenni’s down-home approach plays out well throughout, beginning with the lonely lament “Greatest Hits” (‘I thought I’d seen the worst of it, But the days haven’t been as kind as they oughta…’) and proceeding into the shimmer and sway of the track that follows, the tellingly-titled “Lay It on the Line”. Likewise, when she states her intents on the decidedly driven “I Don’t Have to Like You”. Nenni’s independent spirit is firmly established.
 
Producer John James Tourville, of New West label mates The Deslondes, assembled an outstanding cast of Nashville session players to bring the songs to fruition, but Emily Nenni, who wrote all but the closing offering “Amarillo Highway”, deserves the most credit here. Her clever means of communicating her sentiments — as evidenced in particular by the title track, the drama and desire of “I Can’t Pretend It Never Happened”, and the sprightly sound of “We Sure Could Two Step” — shows she’s an artist with a bright future before her. Drive & Cry is clearly just the beginning of the journey.  (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
 
Listen and buy the music of Emily Nenni from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Emily Nenni website