It’s pretty damn near impossible to stay still while listening to “For Free”, the latest single from hired gun guitar slinger Emily Elbert. The song oozes with tone and feels as if elements of funk, soul, and the blues meld together in a way that breaks the mold rather than conforming to it the way those genres can all too easily do. While being more than capable of backing a slew of world-class musicians, Elbert’s recent releases prove she has a powerful and compelling voice all her own as well, and “For Free” helps to cement that.
“For Free” arose from somewhat of a dualistic place. It’s this sweet and grateful ode to simple pleasures, coming from a really loving mindset, but it’s also a dig at the systems that try to push the idea that we are more “consumer” than animal or spirit. It’s almost a rebellious concept, at this point, but it’s so innate: we already have (and are) what we need – it’s in our Earth, in our communities, in our cultural and ancestral teachings. Manufacturing and selling in excess keeps the machine running, but what we’re lacking isn’t more extraction, or more stuff – it’s redistribution, intersectionality, and community/environmental care. And just the act of being present with each other and our interconnectedness. Those sweet things listed in the song – breath, grounding, water, love – are beautiful by themselves, but they’re also tools for tapping into that awareness, which feels really essential to me right now,” describes Elbert.
