It explains a lot about her sound and feel when you know Strand is working on her master's in theology and liturgy studies at the University of Dayton and confesses to being a big Shakespeare fan.

"Liturgy is the church's art form -- and it's where you hear the poetic art forms. I think that's why I am a fan of the written word from those studies. I guess it does allow for some of the spirituality in my musical writing."

And Strand can write a darn good pop hook on several songs on the new album, including such toe-tapping delights as "Ambition." She also knows how to pull off an offbeat cover song, recording Huey Lewis' "Power of Love" as a jazzy slow-burn torch song.

Soundbytes - Emily Strand
Dayton City Paper
"Whoever said, 'Dayton has lost its soul,' never heard Emily Strand sing.  Her voice on her new album, Delay in the Connection, mirrors the dying soul of the Dayton music scene just enough to bring it back to life.  Her music crosses many genres with folk acoustic guitars, a jazz rhythm section, and a perfect pop hook at every turn.

'I'm frustrated with labels,' Strand said about the new album.  'None of them fit.  It's definitely pop.'

It will see its release on July 3 at Canal Street Tavern, Strand's second following 2000's Evansville, hitting the spot with 10 songs about relationships and miscommunication.

'I don't mask the concepts to my songs,' she said.  'I think they are easily grasped.'

This lyrical concept is played out in an honest, intelligent manner as the listener picks up different images to correspond with Strand's feelings.  One repeating image is that of an island.

'The island refers to isolation and reaching out to someone, but not being able to touch them,' Strand said.  'Lyrically, the words just flowed out, like I had some pent-up frustration that just had to surface.'

One such song, 'Ambition,' which contains similar imagery and frustration, is the first single from the CD.  This is a quick-to-develop pop song with memorable hooks located in every verse.  'The best way to get ahead is leaving you behind,' she sings before the song breaks its upbeat folk format and hits a bridge with a rock guitar solo, abruptly stopping to  enter one last heartfelt verse about leaving someone behind in order to conquer one's dreams.

The most moving track is 'Lou,' a slow, old-time country blues song with melancholy vocals that pull at your tear ducts and beg for a shot of whiskey.

'It's a lonely song abou two people who are very close, but cannot have each other,' she said.  'The third verse is very autobiographical.  It was written at Woodland Cemetery.'

'Walking in the graveyard alone/ they give me advice/ the names on the stones,' she sings.

Delay in the Connection also contains a few surprises, such as a very downtempo jazz version of Huey Lewis' 'The Power of Love.'  She elaborated on the track by saying, 'it started as a joke, but I chose to do it because I really made the song my own instead of just playing it.'

Delay in the Connection was recorded in Nashville with studio musicians.  But live, you will see Strand with her new band The Town.  The album also contains a new version of the song that won her the top prize at this year's 97Xposure contest, 'Voodoo Doll.'  With two songs already recognizable to most of us ('The Power of Love' and 'Voodoo Doll') and eight more to grow on, Emily Strand has a label-worthy record that should create a buzz the likes of which Dayton hasn't seen in a while.

See Emily Play
Cincinnati City Beat Magazine
“It's Strand's exceptional gift for lyrics and a hook that sets her apart from the pack … the ability to make each line she writes a richly detailed, haunting snapshot of life as she knows it or imagines it to be.” 

Burning CDs:  Previewing the Summer's Most Anticipated Local Album Releases
Cincinnati City Beat Magazine
"The title of the sophomore CD from singer/songwriter Emily Strand seems more and more fitting the further it gets away from its initial release date this spring. But Strand -- who specializes in smart, confident and organic Pop songs -- can be forgiven for the slight delay in connecting fans with her new release.

The Cincinnati-bred songwriter who now lives in Dayton had an already busy schedule (revolving around the completion of Delay, maintaining a live show presence and teaching at the University of Dayton) augmented by her victory in last year's 97Xposure local band contest. The win meant free studio time, which will result in yet another album this year, and also led to the formation of a full band, now dubbed Emily Strand and the Town.

"I'm convinced (the delay was) because I chose to name the album Delay in the Connection," Strand jokes. "It was cursed."

Strand recorded Delay in the Connection (her follow-up to 2000's Evansville) in Nashville with Eric Fritsch, a Columbus-reared producer and multi-instrumentalist who has produced and toured with ex-V-Roys frontman Scott Miller and his group The Commonwealth. She was turned onto Fritsch by hearing the album he did with her friend Sara Beck. The new CD features backup from several Nashville session players.

Strand says the delay was actually the result of listening to the initial mixes and deciding to take a different approach to vocals. So she re-camped to the studio in March, remixed and recut vocals and even recorded a whole new song.

"I have so much more confidence in the record as a product after deciding to delay it," Strand says. "So it's been frustrating but worth it."

'Best unsigned band' award goes to... Emily Strand:  Singer-songwriter wins 97Xposure Contest
Dayton Daily News
When Dayton-based singer songwriter Emily Strand mailed her tape to WOXY-FM (97.7) for the station's annual 97Xposure 2003 band competition, the solo performer didn't expect to make it ino the top 20 much less be selected into the top six.

After all, she was merely one of 190 artists or groups that submitted material to the station.  However, Strand and her newly deputized group of backing musicians far exceeded her expectations.  Saturday evening, the underdog outfit was crowed Xposure champions by a panel of judges after squaring off against popular Cincinnati bands Spectacular Fantastic and Cari Clara in live competition at Bogart's.

"Everybody was betting against us," said Strand, who bested the opposition with the assistance of Cincinnati-based jazz musicians Scott Hacker, Shawn Elsbernd, Ashley Shepherd and Whitney Barricklow.  "There was a poll on Cincimusic.com in which I received a whopping 4 percent of the vote while the rest was evenly split between the other two bands.  Someone else put up odds of 5-1 against me.  But the thing is, I tend to shine under pressure.  Whitney, who sings harmonies in the band, has commented on it - it's like all my nerves translate into a really relaxed-looking and energized performance.  And that was happening at Bogart's from the start of our set.

"The competition was really memorable and fun from start to finish," Strand said.  "What else can I say?  We won!"

For winning the contest, Strand is already receiving heavy airplay on WOXY, and she has earned the right to bill herself and her new musical cohorts as the "Tri-State's Best Unsigned Band," but that's not all.  The honor also comes with some nice prizes.  This year's winner receives a $1,000 gift certificate to Guitar Center, 24 hours of free studio time at Ultrasuede Recording Studio in Cincinnati and 500 CDs mastered and pressed by QCA, Inc.  Strand, who already has a new album completed and scheduled for release in the spring, plans to use the studio time to record a new single to accompany the upcoming full-length.

Daytonians who missed Strand's full-band performances during the 97Xposure competition can experience it for themselves when the group makes its local debut at Canal Street Tavern on Feb. 6.  Strand will continue to use the backing players for some shows, but the host of Girl/Solo/Live, a monthly showcase of regional female performers at the Trolley Stop in the Oregon District, says she doesn't have any plans to stop doing her stripped down acoustic work.

Big Exposure
Cincinnati CIN Weekly
"Blessed with a smart look to match her musical sensibility, Strand is well on her way to becoming one of the Tristate’s most notable musicians.”