Kevin Bronson on March 8th, 2016

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From its name, Broken Arrow sounds as if it should be engaging in epic Americana, or Neil Young homage. It is actually the long-incubating collaboration between singer-songwriter Brandi Emma and Scottish transplant Charlie Clark, whose moody balladry finds a cinematic gravity on the regret-tinged first single “Promises.” Broken Arrow is not the first time the pair have worked together; Emma sang on Clark’s solo EP, 2013’s “Feel Something.” And Emma’s rich vocals have been on display in the electro-pop project The Fox Must Pay and on her solo work dating back to her engaging 2007 album, “Swim,” released as Emma Burgess. Clark, whose recent exploits have included a single as Charlie Clark & the Majestic 12, is a veteran of the Scottish supergroup the Reindeer Section (and originally a member of the recently rebooted Scottish pop outfit Astrid), and the new music from Broken Arrow was produced by fellow Scotsman Paul Wilson of Snow Patrol. The slow-building “Promises,” to be released on Clark’s Indiscretion Records (via Manimal), fulfills the promise of its creators’ sure-handed songcraft.

||| Stream: “Promises”

||| Live: Broken Arrow play the Hotel Cafe Second Stage on April 7.