Noted American Songwriter and singer Emily Anderson continues to bring smiles to her listeners in the fantastic “Hugs”. The Fairbanks, Alaska-born songstress sounds quite a bit like her fellow Alaskan, Jewell, but differentiates herself with warmer harmonies and beautifully, dynamic music beds. “Hugs”, a follow-up to the American Songwriter and Songwriting University Song Contests, gets the listener humming and swaying to Anderson’s honey dipped voice.
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Anderson’s sincerity and spark is contagious in this acoustic-guitar based song. She sprinkles in some steady percussion and has a dreamy violin/string arrangement scattered in there, too, but I felt like the majority of the music base is there to elevate her porcelain voice. The plays the acoustic guitar like Joni Mitchell, only plucking it a bit differently at certain points – just to keep you guessing of course. She brings some perky personality to the song and when she sings I wish I could come on over, you know it’s genuine. I can’t wait to hug all my friends again, I can’t wait to hold them when the world isn’t ending, I know I know, I’m not the only one, Anderson sings in the chorus. She possesses the voice that you just want to revisit, as it transports you to a simpler time and a cherished moment.
Right after the song bridge, Anderson and a group of other voices since the chorus. I enjoyed this change – it gave the song yet another dynamic turn. For such a simple pop/Americana song, it really has a lot more depth than I anticipated when she strung the first few notes on her acoustic guitar. It’s like it kept taking in more breaths and rejuvenating. Anderson, a multi-instrumentalist trained at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, has a solid song foundation. She has spot-on instincts. Besides the personality she brings with her voice, I think, too, her guitar work and the addition of the faint violin strings gives the listener even more reasons to keep listening. I never felt like she was coming at the song with an academic or highly structured sound. At one point, it almost sounds like a ukulele playing, but she’s just using her fingers differently on the fret board. She brings a natural light and a warmth to the guitar. Maybe the word I’m drying to think of is delicate – this song has such a sunny day vibe going for it.
Truly, this song is perfect. It’s incredibly endearing and while other musicians are throwing in all the sounds plus the kitchen sink, it’s refreshing to hear an artist that is so authentic. As mentioned above, fans of Jewell, Joni Mitchell, as well as Anna Kendrick (“Cups”) will appreciate Anderson’s realness. She’s fearless, in my opinion, for being so true to herself. Yes, this song comes during the time of a global pandemic, and it’s theme really plays into what we’re all going through, but this has the makings of a timeless classic. “Hugs” is definitely one of 2021’s best singles. I know we have a long way to go in the year, but I’m already predicting it to be a ‘best of 2021’ standout.
Troy Johnstone