There once lived a gorgeous, gifted young woman who learned to sing in the face of danger. Her name was Emma Burgess. Emma was born in Baldwinville, a tiny town in the Massachussetts countryside. It wasn't an exciting town, but it was a place where a girl could sit in her tree house and concentrate. Her family was poor and life was often difficult. To overcome her worries, young Emma went to her tree house and sang to hersleff. She found that she enjoyed it. And she learned to sing beautifully. Emma lived in many homes and attended many schools, never staying in any one place long enough to make friends. Once, she was injured in a car accident and had to move about in a wheelchair. During this time, she taught herself to play guitar. She released her anger and sadness into her instrument, and found that the sounds she made were tronger than the pain she felt. And she learned to play beautifully. When she grew into a woman, Emma bought a Volkswagen Jetta and drove toward Los Angeles, where she could become a star and sing for the world. As she passed through Utah, the Jetta broke down and she could not afford to have it repaired. She found a young mechanic named Bobby. He agreed to fix the Jetta if Emma lent him her guitar as collateral. Seeing no other realistic option, Emma did as Bobby asked. She left her guitar and resumed her journey. In Los Angeles, Emma's struggle continued. Unable to play her guitar, she got a job as a bank teller. On her first day of work, the bank was robbed As the robber escaped with the money, young Emma thought to herself, "the Outfield had some really good songs." A month later, as Emma sat on her cot in Culver City, a UPS truck arrived. It brought with it her guitar, still good as new, with regards from Bobby the mechanic. Emma Burgess is a woman who knows how to turn pain into fertilizer. When she's thrown from a moving car, she lands ona bed of black-eyed susans. Her first album, Swim, is filled with the buoyant spirit that has kept her moving and dreaming. Emma co-wrote all the songs with Ofer Moses and Rusty Anderson, save ove, a reconfigured cover of the Outfields "Your Love." Of course, she could not have made it this far without those who believe in her. On Swim, she's joined by Rusty Anderson (guitarist for Paul McCartney), Mike Garson (pianist for David Bowie), Josh Freese (drummer for Sting, Devo, A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails), Joey Waronker (drummer for R.E.M. and Beck), Ana Lenchantin (cellist for Gnarls Barkley, Sparklehorse, Eels and others), John Pierece (bassist for Huey Lewis and the News) and Fred Eltringham (drummer for the Dixie Chicks). Anderson also co-produced Swim with Ofer Moses. And she'll never forget Bobby. Emma Burgess is a pop star for dark days - the darker things get, the brighter she glows. the triumphant, melodic, emotional rush of her music has carried her through trouble untold. For you, it can do likewise.