The Emmett Hughes Band from Huntington, New York is led by (as you might expect) one Emmett J. Hughes. His music is informed by symphonic, Motown, rock, jazz, world music, and reggae influences. His brand new second album is called The Third Degree.
Hughes is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, playing guitars, bass, and keyboards. He started out in the late 1970s with a variety of bands and now draws the best local New York City players to his many projects. Regarding the songs in this album, Hughes calls them “positive, sincere, and deeply personal, reflecting on the emotional ups and downs of life and how challenges can lead to deeper understanding.” There are 12 songs, and interestingly, if read top to bottom, they all seem to be about love or relationships. “What Will I Do” has an interesting intro, where you’re hearing tuned percussive sounds almost like a coffee pot percolating. When the amplified acoustics and organ join in, it’s with a chord progression you didn’t see coming, with a distinct Island vibe. Hughes has one of those warm folky voices that build intimacy from the start. The arrangement gets bigger as the song continues, including moments of saxophone that very much recall the ’80s. The chorus vocal harmonies are rich, sophisticated, and lovely. “Where Did I Go Wrong” is a gentle ballad with an easy listening vibe but also features a terrific lead guitar solo. Hughes sings a bit more dramatically here, the way Harry Chapin sometimes did. “Tell You How I’m Feeling” continues the heartfelt, confessional feel of the previous track but with a more funky beat and even more interesting mixing touches. There’s also a lovely female harmony vocalist on the chorus. “Love Me Tenderly” has nothing to do with any Elvis song. Instead, it’s a gentle, folky ballad featuring acoustic guitar, strings (I think they’re real!), and Hughes's heartfelt, endearing falsetto. “Crazy For You” is the most island-influenced track right up front, using ukulele and marimba and a solid reggae beat. “Loony Tunes is what I said!” The chorus breaks are interesting, totally dropping the island beat for an almost a cappella moment. Basically, this song describes the many ways you can lose your mind over being in love. “Better Days Ahead” takes an interesting detour into blues rock, featuring heavy fuzz lead, organ, and lots of dark, bluesy attitude in waltz time. “Beautiful Dream” is just that, with a dark smoky atmosphere thanks to wah-wah guitars, film noir saxophone, and low, mysterious vocals. My friends would call this MOOD. “40 Years” is a detour into folk-country with weeping slide or pedal steel guitars. For anyone into classical music, “Dark Bird” is an interesting track in that it opens with woodwinds playing two interweaving (and quite lovely) Stravinsky-like melodies, then settles into an approximation of the structure of Ravel’s “Bolero,” adding strings and note-perfect classical guitar. “Can I Speak for You” is another full-on reggae excursion, with all the tooting horns and percussive guitar licks you’d expect. “Uncle Bo John” concludes the set combining hip-hop, rap, and a spy-movie horn section. Seemingly out of place in this collection, it’s nonetheless an interesting and amusing assemblage. Hughes even sounds a bit like Ice T here. Certainly an interesting number of unusual influences for one album, but they all seem to work together quite well. Wonderfully put together and worth checking out!
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