Premiere: Julia Francis: When You Get What You Want

What's hidden in "Drawers"

Brassy, bold, and boisterous, the Seattle Julia Francis proudly wears her heart and soul on her sleeve and in her music. After a decade-long hiatus to focus on family, she’s back with a blast and authentic blues-rock, specifically, When You Get What You Want.

Compared to Bessie Smith, Sister Rosetta Tharpe mixed with Grace Slick and Janis Joplin, Francis is a lifelong disciple of healing through sound, and thinks of blues not just an avenue to reveal pain, but as a powerful tool to heal and unite, and holds seminars to further that belief. “Working with people who aren’t comfortable expressing themselves musically, or don’t feel free opening up to their peers, gives me courage to sing out LOUD about the things people don’t like to talk about,” says Francis. “What if we took a chance and opened our mouths and spoke our truth?”

About this song, Francis told Elmore, “‘Drawers’ is about the loss of innocence that takes place when little girls become women, and how society exploits this moment to make us distrust ourselves and our own powerful embodied emotions and wisdom. Calling on inspiration from female songwriters who have greatly influenced my musical expression (Brandi Carlile, Lizzo and Joni Mitchell), I wrote this song to support girls and women today who are being inspired and activated to help bring desperately needed balance and healing to our planet. It’s time to look inside and openly celebrate and cultivate what has been hidden in the dark for too long.”

Joining Francis in the studio were producer Steve Fisk, Darren Loucas (guitar), Mark Lutwak (keys), Mike Peterson (drums), and Rebecca Young (bass). Carrie Akre (vocals) and Tendai “Baba’”Maraire (congas). Pearl the Chihuahua provided emotional support.