Emanuel’s debut album, Alt Therapy, will take you on an intimate journey of self reflection, and healing. Honesty and vulnerability is at the core of his music. It’s a cohesive R&B album with jazz, pop, and alternative rock influences reminiscent of the likes of Frank Ocean. Emanuel’s LP begins with the beautifully lyrical “Need You”. This song is the very definition of what being in love feels like. The line “I feel I need you to breathe” says it all. The song is just gorgeous.
“Thought It’d Be Easy” is a lesson to everyone who gets out of a relationship and thinks it’s easy to replace the last love. Emanuel lets you know that love isn’t interchangeable. It’s a standout song on this record. The way Emanuel is able to transport you into his world through his lyricism and vocals. Even if you can’t relate to the subject matter, you can’t help but feel what he feels when listening to this song: “I thought it’d be easy to love someone else/ But I’m runnin’ amok, and I’m thinkin’ ’bout you/ I thought it’d be easy to fuck someone else/ But I’m fuckin’ this girl and I’m thinkin’ ’bout you”. “Addiction” kicks in with a groovier production. This track tackles the highs and lows of indulging in vices in order to escape reality.
“I Need A Doctor” is a powerful track about asking for help, something that many of us grapple with doing. He also touches upon how the things we want end up being the things we don’t want or need: “Everything I said I wanted / is everything I never wanted”. Emanuel takes it back to school with “Detention”. It reminds you of a schoolboy crush. “Hindsight” featuring Dylan Sinclair is a vocal monster. Their voices blend effortlessly. This song has a haunting melody. The song “Magazine” is about love in this internet era. Imagine wanting to be with someone who wants public validation. “PTH” is a very sensual song about passion. Here, Emanuel praises female sexuality.
“Black Woman” is a poignant love letter to Black women and their resilience in the face of social injustice. It is as beautiful lyrically as it is melodically. Emanuel’s emotive vocals shine over orchestra as he sings: “What did I do to deserve you? / Why do I always desert you? / How do you feel when they don’t feel for you? / How do you love when they don’t love you back? No” Make sure to watch the video. You will fall in love with this song.
As the album progresses, you begin to realize that love is the overall driving force of this record. “Pillows” is a love song about the realization that it’s the little things that prove love. It also illustrates that love is a soft place to land. “Worldwide” takes us all over the globe in search of love. Emanuel tells us what it’s like to want love for loves sake. In the end, the love isn’t real. The video plots this out masterfully. Trying to navigate love within the confines of a relationship is tricky. “I Been”, the song that closes out this LP, puts it all out there. Emanuel sings the truth about love. You can’t love someone the way you want to love them, you have to love them the way they need to be loved.
By sharing his truth and his personal journey in Alt Therapy, Emanuel provides listeners with a 44-minute therapy session. For the Canadian R&B artist, the record represents many things: “It is healing…healing for those things in the past that would have us in bondage, in depression, in sadness. Those voices that told us we weren’t important. It’s gratification for the yearning in our hearts to do something great for the people of this world.”