All of the songs on the Music Emporium album are original compositions, with 8 of the 10 being written or cowritten by Casey Cosby. Four of these were composed by Cosby with Thom Wade, who had been in Gentle Thursday. Dave Padwin contributed “Sun Never Shines”. Milt Bulian – who has worked in the field of education for decades and now lives in the Jacksonville, NC area – describes himself as a “groupie” for Music Emporium; he wrote “Times Like This” and had been a member of Brass Plus.
The music by Music Emporium varies considerably and is never better than when Carolyn Lee is singing, particularly on the fantastic “Velvet Sunsets”. Casey Cosby handles most of the lead vocals, with Dave Padwin sitting in for his punky song “Sun Never Shines”. Casey Cosby’s organ defines their sound, though Dave Padwin’s guitar is also prominent.
(October 2013)
