Muse Chronicle

Amanda Emblem has been shaping her musical identity for over two decades, performing alongside legendary acts such as Kiss, Aerosmith, and Robert Cray on international stages. From her home base in Upper Kandanga, Queensland, this accomplished singer-songwriter has earned international recognition, with her compositions winning awards and appearing on television series like Neighbours, while maintaining steady global airplay.

“When inspiration strikes, it becomes both meditation and medicine, a responsibility to give songs the life they demand.”

“The Wood,” Emblem’s fourth studio album, represents a fascinating evolution in her artistic journey, trading the electric intensity for the warm acoustic folk traditions. This 11-track collection finds itself in the most unexpected of places: a pine kitchen table at a secluded beach house along Queensland’s Great Sandy Strait, where Emblem has been retreating with her partner Jimmy and friends Rachel and Tim, affectionately dubbed “The Legends” to escape the chaos of modern civilization.

The album’s genesis story reads like a folk tale itself. While the world crumbles into conflict, Emblem seeks comfort in this tiny coastal village devoid of commercial chaos, armed only with a boat ramp and endless creative possibilities. Here, around that wooden kitchen table that would inspire the title track, informal jam sessions flourished with Tim on guitar, Rachel on djembe, and Jimmy wielding a full array of blues harmonicas.

Tracks like “Ancient Dingo” tackle the complex relationship between humans and Australia’s native wildlife through a rock-reggae fusion, and “Lazy Sunday” features slide guitar and layered vocal harmonies. “Calm Seas” celebrates the simple joy of waterfront adventures with friends, embodying the laid-back coastal lifestyle that inspired much of the album. “Thousands of Songs” brings stage-show dynamism to life with Kelly King on lead vocals.

Emblem’s storytelling talents shine in “Nananah,” a moving singalong that explores the journey of finding music, and “Together Feeling (The Captain),” which returns to aquatic themes with fingerpicking guitar guiding listeners on an oceanic journey. The album’s emotional depth reaches its peak with “Stairs,” a melancholic comparison between beach access and urban subway systems that captures the tension between natural and artificial environments. The collection concludes with “Hanging Rock,” a mysterious piece inspired by Australia’s iconic story, focusing on its unpublished final chapter.

Her two decades of experience shine through in the album, yet never overshadow the intimate quality of the songwriting. “The Wood” encapsulates the timeless appeal of acoustic folk traditions while proving how modern artists can honor those traditions without being constrained by them. Emblem has created an album that invites listeners to slow down, take a breath, and remember that sometimes the most profound artistic statements emerge from the warmest moments around a wooden table by the sea.

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