Album Review: Elle King – Come Get Your Wife
3 min read
Born in L.A, moved to Ohio, then ended up in New York in her teens, you’d swear Elle King came from a swamp valley in Louisiana, with a smoky voice and southern drawl taking you straight into the bayou. Country music was not King’s first port of call, starting her career as a bone fide rock/pop artist with her 2015 debut album Love Stuff. It wasn’t until she found her thing by duetting with Country stars such as Dierks Bentley – the 2015 track Different for Girls set her on a completely different course, one which would ultimately serve her better. The song made #1 in the Billboard Country airplay charts and won a Grammy nomination for best Country duo. Despite the follow up album Shake The Spirit falling into folk territory, such collaborations inevitably took Elle down a long country road, resulting in her latest album Come Get Your Wife But even though she’s gone whole hog in the Nashville vibe, still there remains a strong pop sensibility in her material – we’re talking about radio friendly end-of-the-spectrum stuff a la Shania Twain and The Dixie Chicks, rather than anyone you’d see down at the Grand Ole Opry.
Kicking off with Ohio, an enchanting ode to her childhood home, you’d swear you’re listening to Dolly Parton’s twin sister, with her strong southern twang (in fact, the twang is the thang all the way through) and stylistic banjo playing. It’s clear from the get go King has become a fully ordained Country convert but still inflecting her own pop flair on top.
Drunk (and I don’t want to go home) released as a single in 2021 with Miranda Lambert is, heavens above, an intoxicating slice of countrified Power-Pop with a slap-in-the-face multi-harmonied chorus and guitars turned up to eleven…hooky as hell!
Worth A Shot is, as the title suggests, another drinking song in collaboration with Dierks Bentley, who so successfully helped change the course of her career eight years ago. The blend of King’s powerful, raspy tone, complemented by Bentley’s warmly familiar Country vocals adds depth and breadth to the album’s overall feel. Directly following it is Tulsa, a rocking radio number about a cheater who goes back to ‘Tulsa’ – ‘if you spell it back to front you gonna know what I mean,’ she sings (ie. slut). Sounding like a raunchy Shania Twain hit, this bodacious banger comprises of descending electric blues riffs, a fiery electric guitar solo and an infectious dance groove. Finally, Crawlin’ Mood and Bonafide sit together as an opportunity for King to make her bluegrass and banjo skills, with an old school country melodic flow, heard over slick production.
The best compliment we can pay Elle King is that she’s able to bridge that awkward gap between hard-core Country and accessible pop seamlessly. More of this, please!
Writer and professional flautist Grace Twomey (MMus) performs regularly at gigs in South London where she’s based. All her areas of expertise include classical, pop, indie, latin and folk music.
