After twenty-five years as a technician with Nav Canada, singer-songwriter, guitarist, Emerald, (a.k.a., Brian Edwards), redirected his intention to an old flame. Music.
“There’s always a riff or something going on.”
Taking his stage moniker from an old, classic Thin Lizzy song, Edwards also finds inspiration from other iconic guitar greats such as Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and John Prine.
His debut album, uScopic huGe, pays homage to these legendary acts, while at the same time sending a unique rock’n’roll sound into the ethos to appease the music gods.
HERE’S WHAT WE DUG MOST…
Baby Got Something has a serious ZZ Top feel both in riff and timbre. (Think: Eliminator.)
OUR FAVORITE TRACK… A very cool Steve Miller Band-esque intro in, Collide, shows that Emerald appreciates subtle dynamics. The track is full of ambient and digitally delayed tones juxtaposed with fundamental grimy guitar power chords.
Our hats off to bringing back the talk box in Feels Like The Dirt.
Brian’s gravelly and authentically weathered vocals find their wheelhouse in, Home. Building low & slow, this unique track has an appealing melancholy about it…
“Don’t take me home
There ain’t no place I gotta go…”
Our second favorite track, How You Gonna Know, is a lovely rock ballad whith etheric backing harmonies and a 45-second silky smooth solo which rides out to the end…
“How you ever gonna be that one?
How you ever gonna see?
How you ever gonna get that done?
How you gonna live, without me?”
Can you hear the AC/DC influence in the intro to, Keep One Eye On Your Six? (Come’on, of course you can.)
Check out the epic instrumental break from 3:06–4:00 on the wild and articulate societal disenchantment, Monkeys In Trees.
A lovely finger-picked number, SmallTown, again shows versatility in both technical skill and emotive appeal.
Saving some of his best and strongest for last, concluding the project is, 51., a tragic tale of Father Time’s undefeated record. There’s been a hint of Johnny Cash in much of the songwriting on this album, and nowhere is that more present than this final track…
“Now it’s all gone, there’s nothing to see
So are the people, but not the disease
That’s all there is to it, it’s over and done
Nothin’ more to it, he was just 51…”
IN CONCLUSION…
One man’s rock and blues manifesto. A nostalgic dose of yesteryear guitar rock from the perspective of a real, working guy. Emerald’s (a.k.a., Brian Edwards) debut, solo album, uScopic huGe, in sum is a tribute to not only his life and travels, but all of the rock music-smiths which came before him. Grimy, electric distortion. Smooth ambient delays. Tight and crisp percussion. Stories of relatable candor. And, of course, Edwards’ raw gravely delivery. It is all of these things which come together to create a rock-lovers collection of endearing, guitar-centric tracks which, at the end of the day, are impossible to not enjoy. Impossible. Check out, uScopic huGe, below.
WHOSE LOVECHILD…?
ZZ Top meets Martin X Petz—OR—Johnny Cash meets AC/DC…
BELOW: Listen to Emerald’s album, uScopic huGe, and connect with his website and social media platforms. Please support Emerald by visiting him online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music! And, as always, thank you for supporting real music!
(Want to have your music reviewed on The Ark of Music? Click HERE.)
Follow, stream, download & connect with EMERALD online:
