If
Emma Townshend takes after her father Pete, it's through the subtle, introspective songs that have always formed the emotional core of his work. However, on her debut,
Winterland, she sounds more like a contemporary of
Tori Amos than an artist influenced by her father.
Winterland is a spare, haunting album performed largely with piano and drums. Her voice is eerily beautiful, and she is quite skilled at the piano. Her writing is a little underdeveloped, but it shows considerable signs of promise, particularly in the way the music echoes the sentiments of the lyrics. Despite its handful of unsure moments,
Winterland is a promising debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine