ListN Up Playlist: Amanda Ekery (March 6, 2025)

“Growing Up” by Lori McKenna

Lori McKenna is a legendary country songwriter known for her specific, vivid lyrics. This song captures a small-town upbringing, even mentioning Dairy Queen, which I also wrote about in “To Give” from Àrabe. Lori’s detailed lyricism influences my own writing, evident in tracks like “Between,” “Proud to Be,” and “Without You,” which explore themes like immigration, US military intervention, and personal connections with my hometown friends.

“Lamma Bada Yatathana,” Performed by Fairuz

In 2019, I took an Arabic singing class with Lubana Al-Quntar, a renowned Syrian vocalist steeped in classical Arabic music. Classical Arabic music lacks overt harmonic structure, focusing on maqam scales instead. For Àrabe, I experimented with creating interest using minimal harmonic motion, staying true to classical Arabic styles while making it my own. This approach can be heard in tracks like “Three Days,” “To Give,” and “Stitching.”

“Talk Talk, Pt. 2” by Fay Victor

I could listen to Fay every day. Her music is exciting, adventurous, and fun! This track has a driving undercurrent that makes the improvisatory choices stand out to me. “Double Faced” on Àrabe is a mostly free improvised piece that has four measures of written material acting as a foundation but morphs, similarly to this riff in Talk Talk. I love the challenge of having one idea and sticking with it through an improvisation’s development.

“Inayaat” by  Arooj Aftab

This song sounds like an invitation to me. The title is a name of Arabic descent, meaning care, kindness, and grace – all things I wanted Àrabe to feel like. This song influenced my writing for “Sky Rooted” the opening track for Àrabe which has a simple pedal and colorful textures. It’s a welcome to what is to come.

“Amanecí en Tus Brazos (Amanecí Otra Vez)” by Lucha Villa

In undergrad, I sang and played flute in a mariachi band, with this song being my vocal feature. It’s a ranchera, a traditional Mexican style with dramatic lyrics about love, following a sunup-to-sundown timeline. Both Mariachi and classical Arabic music mostly feature strings. For Àrabe, I aimed to mirror this sound with the instrumentation of voice, piano, mandolin, guitar, bass, and percussion, blending the essence of both cultures.

“Maria” by  Becca Stevens and The Secret Trio

When thinking about what I imagined Àrabe sounding like, I thought of this album. In this track in particular, I love how the arrangement continues to morph throughout the song, nothing stays the same. The vocal background and crunch harmonically is so lovely. You can hear my interpretation of heavy vocal stacking and crunch on tracks like “Between” and “To Give.”

“She’s Still Gone” by Willie Nelson

Growing up in El Paso, TX, I listened to mariachi bands, danced the dabke at family weddings, played in marching and jazz bands, and listened to Willie’s Roadhouse radio in my dad’s garage. The simplicity of Willie Nelson’s storytelling has always resonated with me. Each track on Àrabe tells a story, but “Lucky,” reveals my love for country music, telling  a story about my Sito and El Paso’s history as the original “Sin City.”

“Peg” by Steely Dan

When I lived in Dallas, I spent many hours with this album learning to sing the backup harmonies for a Steely Dan cover band called Naked Lunch.  “Without You,” the final track on Árabe, mirrors Steely Dan’s harmonic style and serves as a love letter to my hometown friends. It reflects the regret of leaving, yet the ability to return, with an open section reminiscent of Peg’s verses.