Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

Emily Brass, a former member of Stone Foundation, will perform songs from her new CD, “Open Door,” with some longtime friends Friday at the Pine Tavern Restaurant in Floyd.

Want to go?

• What: Emily Brass concert and CD release party
• When: 9 p.m.
• Where: Pine Tavern Restaurant, Floyd
• Cost: One-time only CD price of $7.
• Information: emilybrass.com

There's something to be said for going your own way. For Emily Brass, the former front woman of the Floyd-based reggae band Foundation Stone, breaking away in the past year to make her own album has been "inspiring and healing."

On Friday, she'll perform tunes from "Open Door" at the CD's release party at Pine Tavern Restaurant in Floyd. Brass wrote the songs on the reggae, jazz, and hip-hop influenced album alone, and recorded the CD with The Princes of Babylon from Philadelphia.

However, she's looking forward to performing the songs Friday with guitarist Richie Ursomaro, bassist John Lindsey, keyboardist James Pace and drummer Dave Brown. The musicians are longtime friends of hers.

"Initially, there was so much freedom in making it for myself," Brass said. "But then I got to the point where I wanted the parts to be played by people again."

Ursomarso said he and Brass have known each other for 10 years but reunited in Floyd's Cafe del Sol coffee shop about a year ago.

"I said, 'Hey, let's get together and play,' " he said. "I love her style."

Ursomarso learned how to play Brass' new songs, as well as some of the old Foundation Stone songs.

Foundation Stone, which played in the Floyd area and toured the East Coast for about six years, broke up in 2005 after Brass and husband and fellow band member Jacques Trudel went their separate ways.

Brass said that the lyrics on her independently recorded album are more personal than the ones she sang for Foundation Stone. However, the rhythmic dance music is the same.

"I love it when you look out and see a bunch of people dancing, singing and sweating," she said.

Brass, 37, grew up in Montreal and moved to Floyd about 12 years ago.

She started playing the saxophone for her high school band when she was 12 years old.

She began to think more seriously about singing after completing a radio internship in West Virginia, where she was told she had a good voice. During the nascent stage of Foundation Stone, she served as temporary singer until the band could find someone full time. But the position stuck.

On her new album, Brass sings about politics and the environment in "Changes" and the need to party in "Why Wait."

When she's not playing music, Brass sells goods from Guatemala for a friend who lives there.