Amber Ikeman
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Amber Ikeman

Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013

Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Established on Jan, 2013
Solo Folk Singer/Songwriter

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"Album review: Rise by Amber Ikeman"

American singer-songwriter Amber Ikeman grew up in the state of Florida then moved to live and work in Yellowstone National Park in Montana. This journey echoes that of Australian artist Harmony James, whose first album, Tailwind, was created while she was working on the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory, and just as the Barkly lefts its mark on James's music, so has Ikeman's state of residence influenced the music she creates in her second album, Rise.

Rise is, therefore, not the music of sunshine and beaches - from its first song, 'Wild Buffalo', it's evocative of spaces and land and history, and of relationships forged around those elements. Ikeman's lineage is cited as folk and Americana, and there is traditional country music in there too. Her voice has a beautiful pure quality, and she has wonderful control of it (with excellent diction - longtime readers will know how highly I prize this!). When a singer can turn a phrase the way Ikeman can there's a temptation to say they sing 'sweetly' but while Ikeman's tones are sweet, there is an edge there throughout that is intriguing. Although that sweetness does hook you immediately.

Ikeman's is a voice that simultaneously suits an old-time sound and modern songs. Which is, probably, a way of saying that it's a well-developed instrument that can adapt to its material. That adaptability is evident in the first three songs, as she moves from the grit and force of 'Wild Buffalo' to the plaintive love song 'Cheyenne' to the ballad 'The Firefigher'. Ikeman's voice has a lot of nooks and crannies, and there are surprises accordingly. But it's all very well to listen to a voice - the songs have to be there to provide the right vehicle, and Ikeman has them. She's a storyteller who embraces emotional tales, and that's not a way of saying they're all love songs. There are songs of strength and challenge, and of loneliness. The love songs that are on the album also acknowledge the aforementioned spaces and land and history - albeit the history of the relationship concerned - as well as distance and challenge.

While the musical arrangements of the songs are spare - not sparse - all the better to support the songs and the singer, there is a lot going on in each song, to the point that before each song is over you know you'll want to go back and listen to it over and over again. This might be a second album but Ikeman is no sophomore - this is a very well-rounded and well-executed work that should attract listeners from across the spectrum (including pop) to bring Ikeman the audience she deserves. - Sophie Hamley


"Amber Ikeman's debut album: Free"

Bozeman singer/songwriter Amber Ikeman’s debut album, Free, has a modern folk bent. She tired of her nine-to-five job and longed to see the West, so the transplanted Floridian took to the road to start a new life a couple years ago, lured to Montana by the beauty of the Yellowstone. Her nomadic journey led her to compose tales about a present-day western pioneer, struggling and discovering herself.

She’s been performing for nigh on 20 years, was influenced early on by her parents’ interest in folk music, and trained in music and voice. It’s obvious. Her well-trained soprano shows off excellent control and intonation.

Ikeman plays guitar and piano, and is accompanied by many well-known Bozeman-area pickers. There’s Chris Cundy on organ/piano, Jody Engstrom and Parker Brown on upright bass, co-producer Chris Cunningham on lots of instruments as well as backing harmonies, Thomas Roberts on drums, and Chelsea Hunt and Trevor Krieger on violin and fiddle, respectively.


The first tune, an airy country loper, is “Angels Landing.” It speaks of redemption and contains pretty fiddle and rolling guitar. “The Runaway (Take Me, Jamie)” has a spooky flair. “Take me, Jamie, burn all the past away,” Ikeman sings. She counts Joan Baez among her influences and I’m hearing that nuance here, especially on Baez’s early recordings of old English folk melodies. Ikeman’s delivery is trembly and emotional, which is fitting.

“Roots” is a quiet ballad; Ikeman seeks the strength and stability of a tree, holding her up and giving her permanence in an impermanent world. Piano and violin augment this vibrant and powerful tune.

On “Give Me a Home” Ikeman borrows from the old chestnut “Home on the Range,” but adds a melody that sounds almost operatic in sensibility. It features sweet slide guitar and violin interplay, and makes for a peaceful finale to the album.

Watch for this gal. She’s worth catching. Visit www.amberikeman.com. - Mariss McTucker


Discography

Free - 2015
Rise - 2018
New EP coming soon

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Bio

Nashville-based songstress Amber Ikeman delivers empowering, heart-melting folk/pop. By turns gritty and inspired, peaceful and powerful, Amber’s music invites fellow free spirits to explore life beyond convention and expectations. Images from the deserts and mountains she’s hiked or driven through give a living backdrop to her lyrics of resilience, self-discovery, body acceptance, mental health, and women’s issues. Called “a storyteller who embraces emotional tales” (Jolene: The Country Music Blog), Amber leaves audiences “deeply moved…she tugs at your soul like not many artists can” (Analucia Lopezrevoredo, Moishe House San Francisco). 

When she turned 25, Amber quit her nine-to-five job, sold everything that didn’t fit in her car, and drove across the country from Florida to work as a dishwasher in Yellowstone National Park. After the season ended, she drove around the United States alone for months, tirelessly searching for herself. She visited places she’d dreamed about, slept on couches, and wrote the songs that make up her first album, Free.

Amber toured all over the U.S. and parts of Canada for several years, including a five-month tour with her second album, Rise. Songs from that album earned the Vic Heyman Songwriting Award from the South Florida Folk Festival, and the John O’Hara Outstanding Folk Song Award. During the tour, a tumultuous series of events, including two major car crashes and the unexpected death of her mother, led Amber back to Bozeman to heal on hiatus.

Amber’s insatiable drive to make music at a high level led her to move to Nashville in 2022. She self-recorded and co-produced most of her third album, a 5-song EP themed around body acceptance and mental health, which will be released in 2023.


Band Members