Emma Donovan - Take Me To The River (2026)

Highly acclaimed Gumbaynggirr and Noongar artist Emma Donovan today releases her powerful new album "Take Me To The River” via Civilians. A deeply personal and culturally resonant body of work, the album sees Donovan reconnecting with memory, and place - guided by the enduring presence of water as a source of healing, community, and spirit.

“Take Me To The River” is a covers album - a collection of soul classics that first inspired Donovan to sing. Drawing on the work of icons including Al Green, Ann Peebles, Aretha Franklin, and Mavis Staples, alongside the late Archie Roach, Donovan finds new meaning in songs that have long lived inside her, grounding them firmly in her own voice, culture, and lived experience.

Speaking on the album, Donovan shares
“These songs chose me as much as I chose them. The river has always been central to my life - it’s where we gathered, where we healed, where we sang. Taking these songs back to the water felt like the most natural thing in the world. I wanted to honour the writers who carried these words first, and find what was always mine inside them.”

The album’s focus track is a moving interpretation of “Wash My Soul In The River’s Flow”, originally written by the late Archie Roach. Donovan’s rendition captures the song’s spiritual weight and timeless message, delivering a performance that is both intimate and transcendent.

On the track, Donovan reflects
“There’s a reason people have been washing themselves in rivers since the beginning of time. It’s not just physical - it’s something older than that. When I sing this song I’m not performing it, I’m living it. Every single time.”

Fans can secure a piece of this release with a limited edition vinyl pressing of Take Me To The River, available now for pre-order via Civilians and Impressed Recordings. With strictly limited quantities, the vinyl edition offers a tangible extension of the album’s connection to land, story, and sound.

With “Take Me To The River”, Emma Donovan continues to affirm her place as one of Australia’s most important and compelling voices, an artist who not only interprets songs, but lives and breathes them.

Tracklist
1. Take Me to the River (3:55)
2. Eyes On The Prize (4:42)
3. I Can't Stand The Rain (3:07)
4. Do I Need You (3:04)
5. Grandma's Hands (3:22)
6. A Change Is Gonna Come (3:52)
7. Freedom Highway (4:46)
8. Baby, I Love You (4:36)
9. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man (3:26)
10. Wash My Soul In The River's Flow (5:06)