Denali opens with “Bright Eyes,” a catchy piece of folk pop whose lyrics deal, as much of Hill’s material has over the years, with matters of the heart. The title track follows, and it has a slightly Celtic folk feel to it at first, which then picks up to include a bit of alt-country with horn accompaniment which brings to mind, at least to some degree, traditional brass-based Mexican music.
Lyrically, on the title track, Hill conveys how she has observed and experienced so much, and how she has traveled to a great many places, yet it still takes her breath away to see Denali. The point being: one doesn’t need to travel to exotic places to behold wonder and beauty; sometimes it can be found much closer to home. “Lioness,” which is one of my favorites on the album, is an indie folk and pop offering, with a captivating fictional narrative about a complex female character, the Lioness, who is at once both heroine and antagonist, savior and killer, elegant and bestial … an interesting mess of contraries, in other words. “Epic” is a soaring piece of folk rock music with beautiful vocals by Hill, fitting accompanying vocals by Daste, and lyrics penned in heart-blood high on a wall for all passersby to see. And, “Sad Again” is a somber country composition with weeping pedal steel, reverberating amplified guitar, and acoustic strumming, with lyrics about how it hurts despite trying to numb it with alcohol.
Check out this great new video for Emma Hill’s “Denali” by Ben Massey. And, get your copy of Denali in either CD or digital download format at CDbaby or Bandcamp.
