Bill,
unfortunately I didn't hear the EM 55 demos; in my opinion in the VA7 demos Roland made the mistake to insist too much on the variphrase and, after a while, you get bored of hearing someone saying "Honey I need you" or something like that. Re. the EM 55 styles, they are for all Roland VA; I tried them and have to say that, while less impressive at first than some VA 7 styles, they are more versatile. The intros and the endings are shorter (1 or 2 beats) and the same goes for the basic and advanced variations; this may sound a bit repetitive at first but makes for a greater flexibility and nobody, in the audience, can say that your ballads (or whatever) begin and end always in the same way.
Bill, now it's my turn to be impressed: you live in Nashville, the capital of country music, and not far from Memphis (need I say anything?): how is the musical scene there?
Best regards
Andrea