Album Review: "Memory Lane" by Emily Ann Roberts

Shelbi Baker
8 minutes ago
5 min read

Rising country star featured on The Voice, Emily Ann Roberts, has released her long awaited EP, Memory Lane, complete with seven thoughtful songs that will tug your heartstrings in every different direction. The album tackles Emily's experiences with love and haunting memories, meanwhile exploring a couple of captivating storytelling songs. If you haven't heard it yet, head over to your favorite streaming service, then come on back and let's discuss it together!

Memory Lane

The album kicks off with the titular song, "Memory Lane". This is a rare country song that actually talks about personal trauma. It describes having moved past a painful relationship only for the memories to resurface later. Most of us unfortunately know how something like this feels. We're living our lives, moving forward, working on bright new projects, only to be plagued by flashbacks of a time in our lives where we weren't so happy. The slow and smooth tune cleverly describes that person from the past as a driver that illegally crosses into the wrong side of "Memory Lane", which is such a unique way of expressing the feeling. Country music is often full of metaphors, but there is so much charm behind Emily's writing here. It's truly a beautiful, thought-provoking little song.

Jack & Jill Daniel's

Next up is my personal favorite on the album, "Jack & Jill Daniel's". This is the first of two storytelling songs on the EP. It plays on the old nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill, while telling a creative, fictional backstory about the invention of Jack Daniel's whiskey. The story goes like this. Jack met a beautiful girl named Jill, they liked each other, and eventually, they were married. Things were good for a while, until they weren't, of course. After Jill left, Jack decided to build a still to drink away the pain, and thus, we have the most famous whiskey in the world because of a broken heart. I just love Emily's clever line, "Jill was hard to handle. That's a known fact, but til' you hear the whole story, you don't know Jack." The lyrics here are just so much fun. It's not hard to tell that this one is becoming a beloved fan favorite song.

Easy Does It

"Easy Does It" is an incredibly thoughtful song, covering the idea that relationships don't always have to be hard. Sometimes, someone can show you that things can actually be easy. They care for you, help with the chores, don't yell or start fights, and that's sometimes hard to believe. When you've spent a long time thinking that real love doesn't exist, it's jarring to find out it does. Of course, that doesn't make us any less thankful for that love. I think that's what Emily is trying to convey here. She's truly found happiness with her husband and this is one of the sweetest songs anyone could write to show it. Many fans are talking about making it their wedding song, and I think that really shows the impact great songwriting can make. If someone wants your song to be part of one of the most important core memories of their life, it's a good song! (Also, as a fellow crocheter, I have to appreciate the yarn in the music video. Look at that collection!)

Pretty In Pink

Now, let's have a little fun. I LOVE "Pretty In Pink". This hyper-feminine anthem teaches us all that there's no shame in being a glamorous girly girl. After all, we can't help that we're so pretty in pink. This song really feels like gives the same vibe as some thing like "Red High Heels" by Kellie Pickler or "This One's For the Girls" by Martina McBride, or even Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!". It's that classic, proud female country vibe that reminds us that the music industry isn't just for the boys. I also especially like how much confidence this song exudes. Emily knows what she likes and who she is. She doesn't want to be anybody else. The biggest take away is that there's no need to ever lessen yourself or change to fit in with the boys. Be yourself, and enjoy being pretty in pink. You deserve it!

Scratching Out a Living

"Scratching Out a Living" is another super fun song. Believe me when I say this one has big Dolly Parton energy. It's like the spiritual successor to "9 to 5". I'm not even kidding. The track talks about the struggle of balancing, work, kids, cleaning, pets, spending time with your partner, and everything else under the sun. We all want to live, but we have to work to survive. Someone has to get the job done, so it might as well be us. It's relatable in every way and makes you nod your head in agreement the whole way through, and Emily is no exception. Even the life of a glamorous musician is still a job at the end of the day. Someday we can rest, but for now, we have to stay on our grind!

The Fence

Remember when I said this album would tug on your heartstrings? This is another one of those. "The Fence" is a song about having second thoughts. Imagine you meet someone wonderful. Everything about them seems perfect. They treat you right, work hard, and there doesn't appear to be a single thing wrong. However, you can't shake the 'what if?' feeling of something going wrong. What if they leave? What if I lose my freedom to travel or live my life? We're often faced with a lot of those internalized questions. They're perfect but, is it worth the risk? So, we sit on the fence and try to make up our minds. This is especially difficult if we've had a difficult past, which paired with "Memory Lane" being on this album, it seems to be related. I think the reason this song resonates with so many is because it's such a real, lived experience and the story is crafted so well.

Bus to Augusta

We've reached our final song on this EP, which is the other storytelling tune, "Bus to Augusta". If "Scratching Out a Living" is Dolly Parton, "Bus to Augusta" is The Chicks. Remember "Goodbye Earl"? This is that kind of energy. A woman has an abusive husband, so she decides to handle the situation herself and escape into the night, on, well, a bus to Augusta. It's the kind of classic country writing that gets us sucked into hanging on every word. For many of us, these story songs are what opened us up to the genre. Although a lot of music genres tell stories, there's nothing like a good, country tale to captivate and keep us locked in. Something about it feels like gossip we don't want to miss out on. Personally, it brings me back to being a little girl listening to the radio in my mom's car. Nothing settled me quicker than country music, and "Bus to Augusta" is 100% that vibe.

Thanks so much for sticking with me for this review. What did you think? Did "Memory Lane" leave its mark on you like it did me? Did you relate to the emotion skillfully crafted into each song? It's undeniable that Emily Ann Roberts is an incredibly talented musician and deserves all the hype in the world. And if you haven't listened to it yet, what are you still doing here? Get out there and give it a shot, then come back and tell us your thoughts at any of our socials below!

Written By Shelbi Baker