Emma Donovan has released a sumputous cover of Al Green’s 1974 hit “Take Me to the River”, via Civilians, alongside a deeply personal music video.
The proud Gumbaynggirr and Yamatji artist’s warm, velvety vocals on the song mark the beginning of her new solo soul era, infused with her trademark storytelling and deep sense of personal connection.
She shared that she is “quite nervous” taking on such an iconic song, but “it’s exciting and good to share my perspective on it”.
“A song like ‘Take Me To The River’ is similar to an Archie Roach song like ‘Get Back To The Land’. It’s about filling that cup up after a big breakup, going to look for that Country, looking for that water, to cleanse and feel good. I love my connection to that song and I’m excited to share it,” she said.
“My take on this song is really about family and community. We always talk about going up the river, that’s our outlet. We go fishing, we go swimming, we go to hang out, and we take the little ones and we’re there with family. We’ve been following my nannas and my grandfathers for years to the river. So hopefully, with that bit of language that we translated, people will feel the connection to that.”
Widely regarded as one of Australia’s most beloved voices, Donovan’s career spans over two decades. She has carved a singular path that fuses gospel, country and soul with the storytelling traditions of her culture. First emerging as a teenager with Stiff Gins, Donovan went on to front The Putbacks, whose albums Dawn (2014), Crossover (2020) and Under These Streets (2021) earned her critical acclaim and cemented her as a vital force in Australian music.
Having performed on iconic stages including WOMADelaide, Bluesfest Byron Bay and the Sydney Opera House, she has become a guiding voice for the next generation of First Nations artists, and in 2021 was inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame alongside her family band The Donovans. Emma’s previous album Til My Song Is Done was nominated for an ARIA last year and won an AIR Award this year.
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Her take on “Take Me to the River” carries threads of her lifelong love of gospel and country, which she argues makes up soul: “There’s a lot of soul in country, and I believe country and gospel need to be included in soul! And the other parts of my soul era are family and connection.”
She weaves her personal narratives into both the song and its compelling music video, re-enacting some old photos and memories she has with family.
“A lot of the reenactment is me as a little kid, but played by my own daughters in the present day. Because my grandparents were so active in my music — they were musical people and they would also fish and take us to the river — I’ve got an Aunty and Uncle just like them in the clip too,” she shared.
Donovan will soon perform a special multidisciplinary show, also titled ‘Take Me to the River’, that reimagines her catalogue with powerful new arrangements, visuals, and storytelling. Following its premiere at Darwin Festival, the show will appear at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival later this month, and Sydney Festival in 2026.
