Emily Haden Lee - The Woman I Would Be (2024)

Therapeutic labour of love for Chicago-based singer-songwriter. Haden Lee was brought up, lucky thing, in a family where music was integral. As she grew up she heard Crosby, Stills and Nash, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Miles Davis and Led Zepplin amongst many others. Such was the impact of this introduction that she started taking piano lessons at the age of six and she began singing in a church choir shortly after that. Her father and brothers played guitar and mandolin. Inevitably this musical upbringing made an impact on her – initially dabbling in opera – but in her final year at university she picked up a guitar and found the joy of songwriting – buoyed on by her boyfriend, and now husband, Alex.

This newfound creativity was challenged sadly with the knowledge that her father had been diagnosed with cancer – and she slowly realised the full extent of some of her family’s alcohol problems and depression. This culminated in the death of her brother from these problems.

Amazingly though, music gave Haden Lee a much-needed creative outlet – and with the help of her husband and renowned singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Dawson, her debut album was made. And what a gorgeous and enchanting set of songs it is.

We open on ‘Gentle Man’ – a lovely tribute to her eldest brother Jonathan, who she had only recently lost to alcoholism. She had struggled with her faith around this time and the song also features a beautiful line “with the spirit of a lion and a heart just like a lamb” which was written by her father – an accomplished writer and poet.

‘Begin Again’ is about a mother-daughter relationship – one Haden Lee was hoping to gain from her own mother – but also from her own daughter. Incredibly, having tried to start a family for a long time, it was as she was writing this song that the couple found out that they were expecting a daughter. The song is as touching as that story – wonderful.

‘Round and Round’ is a passionate tribute to her husband Alex, who had given her so much strength and support around this challenging yet creative period of their lives. ‘Cowboy’ was written for her late brother Jonathan, who died aged only 38, and around the lovely guitar work and bass, lap steel harmonium and harmonies, there’s some really effective harmonica work from Bill Evans.

There’s a welcome change of pace on ‘Sugar and Dirt’ – a song Haden Lee wrote to look at herself – and the sound of a strong drum beat and some great banjo playing from producer Dawson is a joy.

Over the course of twelve deeply emotional songs Haden Lee has made an undeniably strong and powerful album, with some exemplary musicianship. It would have helped if there was a little more variety in the overall sound – but that aside, this is a heartfelt tribute to “two beautiful souls, now flying free”.