Emma Donovan & The Putbacks
Acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks first burst onto the Australian scene with their album Dawn in 2014, announcing a new voice in Australian soul music.
Acclaimed Indigenous vocalist Emma Donovan and Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks first burst onto the Australian scene with their album Dawn in 2014, announcing a new voice in Australian soul music.
The band reunited in 2020, launching their second album, Crossover, to great acclaim. Donovan’s songwriting is optimistic, impassioned, and bruisingly honest, while The Putbacks’ music is fluid, live and raw. The Putback’s collaboration with Donovan elevates their music and her songs to another level, winning them friends and admirers all over the world.
Emma Donovan grew up singing church songs with her grandparents on the north coast of New South Wales, and her first secular gigs were singing in the family band, The Donovans, with her mother and five uncles. Throughout her career, she has toured and recorded with many of the mainstays of Indigenous music, from Archie Roach to Dan Sultan, and was a member of the Black Arm Band project.
It was in this group that Donovan met members of The Putbacks and their journey together began. The Putbacks are stone cold pros, grizzled veterans of all the tours and all the studios. When they come together, they’re one of the tightest, sharpest, slickest, most dynamic musical units to ever exist.
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Under These Streets
Under These Streets is out now digitally and on limited edition vinyl via Heavy Machinery Records. Cover art by Aretha Brown.
