Emma Tricca - Relic (2014)

The Giallo princess returns. Raised into a unique pop-cultural landscape surrounded by Giallo comic books, whistling Morricone film scores, vibrant religious imagery and expensive furniture design, Italian born Emma Tricca’s childhood playground formed a very different backdrop to that of the many whispery femme-folk revivalists that have popped up and pooped-out over the last hum-strummed decade.

Emma Tricca didn’t fall into a comfy kaftan via her parents bottle fed record collection during her pre-paid college off-years nor was she torn out of a style mag via a few guitar lessons to decorate the post-club chill-out festivals. Emma Tricca is the real deal, unaffected by whimsical press-penchants and influenced by long European road trips, heavy guitar cases and tough love relationships. In danger of spitting paganistic fluff, Emma is simply an ergonomic reaction to her environments and their stories - folk music personified. While splitting her time between Rome and London she awkwardly melts a stiff upper-lip into the hot-blooded passion which has fuelled her finger-picked momentum through all of her adult life.

As folk slips from the newspaper colour supplements and becomes a four letter word once again, Emma Tricca basques in its exorcism and stands hand in hand with her peers, counting the likes of John Renbourne, Bonnie Dobson and Judy Collins as friends and stage mates, while eerily drawing comparisons with the lost music of English/Italian 70s acidic folk mystery Mark Fry.

Tricca was first recognised by her long black hair, battered guitar case and sturdy Italian heeled boots by Jane Weaver and Andy Votel on stage in 2006. It was ultimately her unique and infectious vocals talents that inspired the Northern non-label bosses to release her unanimously five-star rated debut LP Minor White via the Bird Records imprint, a family of which Emma has been a faithful friend and ambassador ever since.

Taking trips across central Europe to the West coast of America and stopping off at too many English, Irish and Welsh Festivals to count in between (Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown/Festival No 6/Green Man) the emergence of Emma’s new set of songs-of-experience come from a creative soul that has travelled far, practiced long and shared a heart, through intimate songwriting, with unfaltering abundance.

Previously honing her craft with minimum means fuelled by maximum motivation her ability to spontaneously exude yearning melodic handcrafted folk songs to dewy-eyed audiences still renders todays hi-tech back-lines and expensive studios surplus to requirement.

On her new LP, Emma, for the first time, embraces the minimal use of mechanical percussion and homemade orchestrations collaborating with Italian and English musicians such as members of Welsh proggists Colorama, Edwyn Collins producer Carwyn Ellis and Sam Mcloughlin (N.Racker) who brings some Northern rural radiophonics to this ROMANtic relic.

To subtitle a John Fahey song... behold the Giallo princess.