A pre-eminent Wytheville soul singer is returning to the local music scene after a long absence and just in time for the holidays.
Emily Cooley will regale listeners with a yuletide blend of jazz, soul, blues and rock with her powerful vocals to complement the unique set list at Oracle Books on Thursday, Dec. 21 st at 7 p.m. The 20-song, hour-long program will include songs in the style of gospel pioneer Mahalia Jackson, jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe and pop queen Whitney Houston.
Also featured are tunes in the fashion of seminal English soul singers Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, and Dusty Springfield. Songs inspired by traditional holiday crooners Nat King Cole and Harry Connick Jr. will be among Cooley’s offerings for the evening.
Cooley will perform some a capella numbers as well, which will highlight her own moving vocals.
In 2019, Cooley performed the entire 1969 Dusty Springfield album, Dusty in Memphis, to a standing-room-only crowd at Oracle Books to rave reviews. Bookstore owner Randy Shell said he is thrilled to have her return to his stage, which he says is always open to local talent ready to give back to the community.
“Emily is an exceptional talent and we are very excited for her to provide us with a great Christmas show,” Shell stated. “A good Christmas show is just what our community needs to get everyone in the holiday spirit.”
Furthermore, Shell is appreciative for any opportunity to display local talents at his Main Street shop, the basement of which holds free weekly jam sessions, which are always open to the public.
“We are proud to be a part of this community,” Shell, who along with his wife, Lisa, recently celebrated five years of operation at Oracle Books, commented. “We love celebrating local talent and are happy to hopefully give more than we take to the area.”
Cooley says her choice of a holiday show as her long-awaited return was a mixture of timeliness and encouragement.
“I wanted to get back into singing as soon as possible,” she stated. “I thought people would respond well to a holiday show because everyone loves Christmas music.”
Like her friends at Oracle Books, Cooley wanted an opportunity to give back to the community. She believed that a yuletide performance would serve as an uplifting gift to local listeners.
“People experience so much tragedy and sadness during the holiday season,” she said. “I want my show to offer encouragement and hope to people.”
Those sentiments also went into her eclectic song selections.
“I wanted to make sure I included traditional favorites while keeping the program as upbeat as possible,” Cooley added. “I want listeners to come away from the show feeling happy.”
The singer says she wanted to use her talents for the benefit of others.
“I love singing and have missed performing in front of an audience,” she remarked. “I wanted to be given an opportunity to be a blessing to people, which blesses me in turn.”
While her holiday song choices offer some traditional staples such as “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” Cooley’s soulful voice will render them in unique fashions seldom heard by customary listeners. Other more upbeat tunes featured will include jazzy versions of “Sleigh Ride,” “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow,” and “Frosty the Snowman.” The sounds of pop will be heard in songs like “Wonderful Christmastime,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” along with the New Orleans-influenced “I Pray on Christmas” and the blues ballad “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”
Cooley is also looking to unveil a tribute to the recently-deceased Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner, in 2024.
For more information on the upcoming Christmas program, call Oracle Books at (276) 227-0105. The show is free and open to the public.
