I've been listening to it nonstop the last week or so! Support our friend to the blog and pick yourself up a copy!

Just like the diverse Manhattan Lower East Side neighborhood from which she's hails, the debut album from the 21-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist can be described as musical gumbo. Although King can't be labeled R&B, Hip-Hop, Folk, Jazz or Rock, she skillfully combines all five on her debut album EAST SIDE STORY. On her first single, "Walk in My Shoes," she sounds at home alongside a verse from newcomer Lupe Fiasco, while on "Business Man," she effortlessly intertwines soulful melodies and politically conscious lyrics with her sparse, folk-inflected guitar arpeggios. On "Alright," she channels the painful honesty of a young Mary J. Blige, while on "Colorblind," she weaves pop sensibilities and pure boom-bap into one beautiful tapestry. A protégé of multi-platinum hip-hop/R&B producer Chucky Thompson, Emily also collaborated with Salaam Remi (Fugees, Nas), and notable Grammy award winning duo Rashad "Kilo" Pugh & Vada Nobles (Lauryn Hill).

Throughout EAST SIDE STORY, Emily's eclectic range of heroes and influences can be heard, from the Beatles and Nas to Sarah Vaughan and Radiohead, from Michael Jackson to Neil Young and Lauryn Hill. "Every record that I've ever heard has been an influence on me," she says, "there are so many things in this world to talk about."