Welcome to Madrid

Emily Barker, one of today’s folk sensations who also incorporates soul and jazz elements, presents her first album, Sweet Kind of Blue, recorded in Memphis under the management of Matt Roos-Spang.

The first single, Sister Goodbye, is a heartfelt tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of Barker’s heroines, whilst the song that gives its name to the album captures the urgent beauty of fleeting love.  

The legacy of British folk and northern soul, along with the American inspiration of vocal jazz, rhythm and blues and country has led to this impressive album. With evocations of Rosetta Tharpe, Patsy Cline, Dusty Springfield, Etta James, Eva Cassidy or Carole King, Sweet Kind of Blue is presented as a stimulating pleasure for the senses.

In 2018, the artist won the UK Artist of the Year Award from The Americana Music Association UK (Amauk). Emily also has a spectacular career. She was a member of The Low Country band and her songs appeared in TV series, such as Wallander and The Shadow Line, with which she gained even more popularity. In 2015, the director, Jake Gavin, commissioned the soundtrack of the film, Hector, to Emily. She has also recorded more than a dozen albums with different bands.

In 2014, Barker moved to Nashville and formed part of the Applewood Road trio, performing at numerous folk festivals. On a visit to the legendary Fame recording studios in Muscle Shoals (Alabama), succumbed to the recording tem there used by Aretha and by Otis Redding and Etta James. On her return to the United Kingdom, she began to create this latest album, Sweet Kind of Blu