Stream: EMAN8, ‘Emanate’

Kevin Bronson on June 10th, 2019

1

Last year, Brandyn Burnette — the singer, songwriter, production whiz and multi-instrumentalist who in 2016 famously turned his back on “American Idol,” adopted the new music moniker EMAN8. The St. Louis-reared artist, who earlier had exited Warner Bros. Records before his mixtape was even released, has been a guy who wants to do things his way, at his pace, away from the mainstream pop machine.

He has released EPs and singles under his own name and collaborated with pop singer Molly Moore in the duo Cosmos & Creature. He has lent his writing skills to artists such as Charlie Puth, Jon Bellion and the Backstreet Boys (“Breathe,” from their latest album).

And last week the 28-year-old released the EMAN8 debut album, titled “Emanate,” which could be described as mainstream pop for anybody who’s bored by mainstream pop. In other words, it shifts styles and instrumentation, sometimes wildly, but it’s held together by Burnette’s sensuous croon (you know, that voice the “Idol” judges loved). And he can rap, too.

Notable are two gospel-inspired tracks, “IOU” (which featured Indiana rapper Kid Quill) and “Amen.” Horns, handclaps, choruses and all, they tie the past to the present. “Emanate” has all your slick contemporary production tricks, but it sounds … well, human. Burnette’s way might not be so bad after all.

||| Stream: “Amen” and IOU”