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On her third album with Oh Boy Records, and her fifth since beginning her career a decade ago, Emily Scott Robinson once again unveils her mastery as a performer and storyteller. With her 2026 release Appalachia — recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios with Grammy-nominated producer Josh Kaufman — Robinson opens herself up to experimentation and sings in her crystal-clear voice about resilience, love, grief and hope.Robinson’s talent is no surprise to the music industry — she’s now a veteran touring artist, both at home and abroad. Her records Traveling Mercies (2019) and American Siren (2021) each landed high on Rolling Stone’s “Best Country and Americana Albums” and Stereogum’s “10 Best Country Albums” year-end lists. She’s been lauded by the Washington Post, Billboard, American Songwriter and No Depression, and earned the 19th spot on NPR’s “100 Best Songs of 2021” with her song “Let ‘Em Burn.”
It was her 2020 release “The Time for Flowers,” an anthem of hope recorded at home in the midst of the global pandemic, that caught the attention of Oh Boy Records, the independent label founded by John Prine in 1981. Robinson jumped at the opportunity to join the free-spirited and beloved record label carrying on her hero’s legacy.
Robinson believes the songs on Appalachia are the best she’s ever written — she sings about her grandmother slipping into dementia, a cash-only saloon full of characters, and gratitude for life, despite its hardships. The album features a duet with Grammy winner John Paul White that celebrates the kind of love that comes with scars and age, and a hymn for anyone who’s ever failed or fallen short.
“There’s this thing I do with every record I make,” she says. “I knit a prayer into it, and I ask for all these songs to find their way to everyone who needs them. I ask these songs to be of service, to help people find and experience joy.”
The Ark’s Artist Spotlight Series is made possible with support from Ford Philanthropy. It is presented live, and also livestreamed on The Ark’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Tonight’s show is FREE (nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers).
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316 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI, United States, Michigan 48104
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