Emm Gryner’s wintery ‘Goddess’

Today was a good day to be an Emm Gryner fan. This morning I received a press release announcing that Emm will be playing the Glenn Gould Studio on Saturday, February 7. And then on top of that, Emm mailed me a sample copy of her new CD, Goddess, which also comes out in February.

While I make no qualms about being a fan, which means I don’t mind gushing a little about her (she was, after all, the first person I ever interviewed for The GATE), I also feel objective enough to go into a little review here.

First of all, I have to say that Emm’s new album is wonderfully layered. From the soaring levels of “Goddess,” marked by its orchestral undertones, to the sweet, mournful notes of “Skating Rink,” it is a beautiful, albeit haunting, album.

It’s also a natural next chapter for Emm.

And maybe it’s just the songs titles (the first track is “Let It Snow,” although it is not what you might expect), or even a few of the lyrics, but it feels very much like a winter-inspired album. There is a resounding theme that just reminded me of this time of year when the cold seeps in, and the way the world seems to shrink during the long nights of the season. Even down to the way the two final songs, “Leftover Love” and “Note 2 Self,” feel like end-of-winter songs, hopeful and bright in the case of the former, and ultimately wanting change in the case of the latter.

I can’t say that for sure, of course, I don’t know what Emm intended, but that’s the feeling I get listening to Goddess.

Visit Emm’s official website at www.emmgryner.com, and if you’re looking to check out Emm’s upcoming show in Toronto at the Glenn Gould Studio, visit www.roythomson.com. Tickets are $29.50 and Colin Devlin will also be performing.

Photo by Ilia Horsburgh, courtesy of MySpace.com/EmmGryner.