Miss Emily – ‘The Medicine’ [Album Review]

Canadian blues singer-songwriter Miss Emily releases her new long player, The Medicine, produced by JUNO and Grammy winner Colin Linden at Pinhead Recorders in Nashville. The album is a collection of Americana and soul-inspired blues.

Miss Emily says, “I made this record 20 years after I released my first record. It has brand new songs that reflect the current state of the world and unreleased 20-year-old songs that are finally ready for their time to shine. I am a product of my experiences and the world around me, and this album was crafted to connect me to the listener – ultimately, we are one big community of vulnerable, loving, suffering, and surviving beings.”

After performing every night in bars and nightclubs between Toronto and Montreal for two decades, in 2019, Miss Emily won three Canadian Maple Blues awards: Female Vocalist of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and Video of the Year.

In 2022, she received a JUNO nomination for Blues Album of the Year and won Maple Blues Female Vocalist of the Year again in 2021 and 2023.

The Medicine comprises nine tracks, of which, speaking subjectively, must-listen-to tracks include “My Freedom,” with its splendid a cappella intro, followed by transitioning to a raw, sleazy melody topped by Miss Emily’s lusciously vampish vocals.

On “Stand Together, Band Together,” Miss Emily struts the slink of her voice as she narrates her conviction that standing together as human beings is just what the doctor ordered – medicine for people.

Miss Emily, photo by Jillian Lorraine Photography

Drenched in soul and oozing blues textures, the title track coasts on a tight, crunching rhythm as a low-slung, melancholic organ brays out a tender lament. Overhead, Miss Emily’s voice reveals wistful, aching timbres.

A personal favorite because of its tinctures of gospel flavors, “Solid Ground” drifts on a creamy, undulating melody as Miss Emily uses her wonderful voice to convey the trials and tribulations that afflict everyone, hoping they find the respite of ‘solid ground’ along the way.

“Remember This Song” closes the album with thick, passionate bluesy surfaces and Miss Emily’s oh-so deliciously nasty vocals, like Janis Joplin covering Nina Simone. Miss Emily can sing!

Unwaveringly human in scale, on The Medicine, Miss Emily addresses vital themes like love, heartache, unity, and renewal.

The Medicine Track Listing:

1. My Freedom
2. Stand Together, Band Together
3. The Medicine
4. Maybe
5. You Make Believe
6. Running Again
7. Solid Ground
8. Smith’s Bay Drowning
9. Remember This Song

Run Time: 36:01
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Record Label: Gypsy Soul Records