MEDIA

"Donovan can front a well-oiled soul band in her sleep"
✌︎ Rolling Stone Magazine (Aus) - Doug Wallen

“A tour de force of funk and soul hailing from the land down under”
✌︎ Pop Matters - Brice Ezell

"Donovan is reflective, contemplating the good, bad and indifferent of the world around her; in Donovan’s voice, it’s all worth listening to. Great soul singers are born, not made, and Emma Donovan is a charismatic soul singer for the ages."
✌︎ Beat Magazine - Patrick Emery

”Emma Donovan & The Putbacks are not something you want to 'put back' on the shelf. These musicians are not to be missed.”
✌︎ Inside World Music - Matthew Forss

”Donovan’s raw, soulful vocals are equally as commanding of the listener’s attention, as she conveys struggle and strength effortlessly.”
✌︎ Soul Music and Beyond - Kitten Jam

”DAWN is an album that Emma Donovan was destined to make. It’s a record on which one of Australia’s most gifted female singers bares her soul — stylistically and lyrically — and, in the process, invokes echoes of some legendary American divas.”
✌︎ The Australian - Tony Hiller

“Emma’s voice is everything you’d want in a soul singer. She’s the real deal.”
✌︎ Wax Poetics - Devin Rimer

"Driven by brutally honest lyricism, irresistible percussion and a purist’s respect for the funk and soul tradition, Dawn hearkens back to the heyday of Stax and Atlantic Recordings. Combining the sick harmonies and tender sensibilities of r&b with a decidedly sinister edge, Emma Donovan & The PutBacks have created a singular project that will command spins and ultimately stand the test of time."
✌︎ Okay Player - KARASLAMB

“Within a few minutes of putting the needle to the vinyl you can tell that there’s something special about this group of musicians.”
✌︎ Bottle Neck Cafe

”years of experience have brought her the ability to put a song over in a direct and powerful way, but with a refreshing feeling of naturalness — there’s nothing forced, no slick stage craft.”
✌︎ The Daily Telegraph

“Heartbreak and redemption bleed from every lyric – washed over with 70s-inspired funk and soul, rhythm and blues in a collaboration that’s best described as ‘new soul’.”
✌︎ ABC

“Spinifex Gum is an artistically stunning, thoughtful and evocative collection of songs that demand to be heard.”
✌︎ The Music