Émigré (album)
Encyclopedia
Émigré is the debut solo studio album
by Australian singer-songwriter Wendy Matthews
released by rooArt
in Australia in November 1990. It was produced by Ricky Fataar
and reached No. 11 on the Australian Albums Chart
. It yielded three singles: "Token Angels", "Woman's Gotta Have It
" and "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)". Matthews won the 'Best Female Artist' award at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991
, and "Token Angels" won 'Breakthrough Artist – Single'.
group Absent Friends
in mid-1990. She went into the studio with producer Ricky Fataar
(ex-Beach Boys, Rutles) to record her debut solo album, Émigré. Her session musicians included Absent Friends' members Garry Gary Beers (also in INXS
) on bass guitar, Andrew Duffield on keyboards, Sean Kelly
on guitar, Roger Mason
on keyboards, James Valentine on saxophone, and Mick King on guitar. She also enlisted Tim Finn
(Crowded House
) and Peter Blakeley
on backing vocals. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Albums Charts. It spawned the hit singles "Token Angels" (No. 18 in November 1990), Bobby Womack's "Woman's Gotta Have It" (No. 34 in February 1991) and "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" (No. 14 in June). Matthews won 'Best Female Artist' and 'Breakthrough Artist – Single' ("Token Angels") at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991
. Matthews was also voted 'Best Female Singer' in the 1990 Australian Rolling Stone
readers poll.
For touring in support of the album, Matthews used Paul Abrahams on bass guitar, Amanda Brown
on oboe, violin (ex-The Go-Betweens
), Robbie James on guitar (Gang Gajang), King on guitar, Lisa Maxwell on backing vocals, Mark Meyer on drums (Mark Gillespie Band, Moving Pictures
), Mark O'Connor on keyboards and Valentine on saxophone. In October 1991, she issued a live mini-album The Way It Has to Be and toured as support to US R&B group, The Neville Brothers
. At the end of 1991, Matthews recorded her second full-length album Lily
, which was produced by T-Bone Burnett
and released in late 1992.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Australian singer-songwriter Wendy Matthews
Wendy Matthews
Wendy Joan Matthews is an Australian adult alternative pop singer originally from Canada who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist...
released by rooArt
RooArt
rooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews, The Hummingbirds, The Trilobites and Amanda Brown...
in Australia in November 1990. It was produced by Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar is a South African multi-instrumentalist of Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer, and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in the comedic television movie, The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, a spoof on the actual history of The Beatles, and for his performance as a...
and reached No. 11 on the Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. It yielded three singles: "Token Angels", "Woman's Gotta Have It
Woman's Gotta Have It (song)
"Woman's Gotta Have It" is a song written by Darryl Carter, Bobby Womack and Linda Womack. Released as a single from Bobby's 1972 album Understanding, it reached number one on the R&B chart and peaked at number 60 on the pop chart in the US. The idea for the song came from a marital situation that...
" and "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)". Matthews won the 'Best Female Artist' award at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991
ARIA Music Awards of 1991
The Fifth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 25 March 1991 at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre in Sydney. International host Bob Geldof was assisted by presenters to distribute 24 awards...
, and "Token Angels" won 'Breakthrough Artist – Single'.
Background
Wendy Matthews completed her touring commitments for the new waveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
group Absent Friends
Absent Friends (band)
Absent Friends were an ARIA Award winning band from Sydney, Australia. The band was relatively short lived, forming in 1989 and disbanding in 1990...
in mid-1990. She went into the studio with producer Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar is a South African multi-instrumentalist of Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer, and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in the comedic television movie, The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, a spoof on the actual history of The Beatles, and for his performance as a...
(ex-Beach Boys, Rutles) to record her debut solo album, Émigré. Her session musicians included Absent Friends' members Garry Gary Beers (also in INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
) on bass guitar, Andrew Duffield on keyboards, Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly (Australian musician)
Sean Patrick Kelly Born 9 November 1958, is an Australian singer, guitarist and song writer best known as a founding member of the bands Models, Absent Friends and The Dukes.-Biography:...
on guitar, Roger Mason
Roger Mason (musician)
Roger Ashley Mason is an Australian keyboardist who has been a member of New Wave groups Models, Absent Friends and Icehouse. He was a session and backing musician for United Kingdom's Gary Numan and for various Australian artists...
on keyboards, James Valentine on saxophone, and Mick King on guitar. She also enlisted Tim Finn
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
(Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
) and Peter Blakeley
Peter Blakeley
Peter Blakeley is an Australian White Soul/Adult Contemporary singer and songwriter.Blakeley was a lead singer for The Rockmelons in the mid-1980s. He launched a solo career in 1987 and had a massive hit single in Australia in 1990 with "Crying in the Chapel", which was not a remake of the 1950s...
on backing vocals. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
Albums Charts. It spawned the hit singles "Token Angels" (No. 18 in November 1990), Bobby Womack's "Woman's Gotta Have It" (No. 34 in February 1991) and "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" (No. 14 in June). Matthews won 'Best Female Artist' and 'Breakthrough Artist – Single' ("Token Angels") at the ARIA Music Awards of 1991
ARIA Music Awards of 1991
The Fifth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 25 March 1991 at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre in Sydney. International host Bob Geldof was assisted by presenters to distribute 24 awards...
. Matthews was also voted 'Best Female Singer' in the 1990 Australian Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone Australia
Rolling Stone Australia is an Australian-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published monthly, it is the Australian edition of the United States' Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was initially released in Melbourne in May 1970 as a supplement in Revolution, an...
readers poll.
For touring in support of the album, Matthews used Paul Abrahams on bass guitar, Amanda Brown
Amanda Brown (musician)
Amanda Gabrielle Brown is an Australian composer, classically trained musician, singer and songwriter, renowned for her role as the violinist of the band The Go-Betweens and more recently a session musician and soundtrack composer....
on oboe, violin (ex-The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
), Robbie James on guitar (Gang Gajang), King on guitar, Lisa Maxwell on backing vocals, Mark Meyer on drums (Mark Gillespie Band, Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures (band)
Moving Pictures was a rock music band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980. They are best known for their hit single, "What About Me" and multi-platinum album Days of Innocence, both of which topped the charts in Australia.-Biography:...
), Mark O'Connor on keyboards and Valentine on saxophone. In October 1991, she issued a live mini-album The Way It Has to Be and toured as support to US R&B group, The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
. At the end of 1991, Matthews recorded her second full-length album Lily
Lily (album)
Lily is the second solo studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Wendy Matthews released by rooArt in Australia on 28 September 1992 . Matthews travelled to Canada with her mother for the album to discover their heritage, which influences the album. Matthews states the album "overall, has...
, which was produced by T-Bone Burnett
T-Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry Burnett , widely known as T-Bone Burnett, is an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer.He was a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band on the Rolling Thunder Revue...
and released in late 1992.
Track listing
All songwriters as listed.- "Token Angels" (Roger MasonRoger Mason (musician)Roger Ashley Mason is an Australian keyboardist who has been a member of New Wave groups Models, Absent Friends and Icehouse. He was a session and backing musician for United Kingdom's Gary Numan and for various Australian artists...
) – 4:53 - "As We Speak" (Paul Abrahams, Robbie James) – 4:17
- "Won't Let Me Be (Georgia's Song)" (James Valentine, Wendy MatthewsWendy MatthewsWendy Joan Matthews is an Australian adult alternative pop singer originally from Canada who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist...
, Andrew Duffield) – 5:01 - "Taking My Heart Around" (Danny Peck) – 4:35
- "Square Moon" (K Govett, Geoff Stapleton, James) – 3:53
- "Woman's Gotta Have ItWoman's Gotta Have It (song)"Woman's Gotta Have It" is a song written by Darryl Carter, Bobby Womack and Linda Womack. Released as a single from Bobby's 1972 album Understanding, it reached number one on the R&B chart and peaked at number 60 on the pop chart in the US. The idea for the song came from a marital situation that...
" (Bobby WomackBobby WomackRobert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
) – 4:19 - "State of Mind" (J Williams, B Cook) – 4:25
- "Doomsday Lullaby" (Peck) – 4:38
- "Goin' Back to My Roots" (Lamont Dozier) – 6:04
- "Long Way from Home" (Matthews) – 3:12
- "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" (J Friedman, C Curtis) – 3:29
Personnel
- Wendy MatthewsWendy MatthewsWendy Joan Matthews is an Australian adult alternative pop singer originally from Canada who has been a member of Models and Absent Friends and is a solo artist...
– vocals - Peter BlakeleyPeter BlakeleyPeter Blakeley is an Australian White Soul/Adult Contemporary singer and songwriter.Blakeley was a lead singer for The Rockmelons in the mid-1980s. He launched a solo career in 1987 and had a massive hit single in Australia in 1990 with "Crying in the Chapel", which was not a remake of the 1950s...
– backing vocals - Garry Gary Beers – bass guitar
- Andrew Duffield – keyboards
- Tim FinnTim FinnBrian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
– backing vocals - Sean KellySean Kelly (Australian musician)Sean Patrick Kelly Born 9 November 1958, is an Australian singer, guitarist and song writer best known as a founding member of the bands Models, Absent Friends and The Dukes.-Biography:...
– guitar - Mick King – guitar
- Roger MasonRoger Mason (musician)Roger Ashley Mason is an Australian keyboardist who has been a member of New Wave groups Models, Absent Friends and Icehouse. He was a session and backing musician for United Kingdom's Gary Numan and for various Australian artists...
– keyboards - James Valentine – saxophone
Charts
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 11 |