June 15, 2010 Music » Hit & Run Reviews

Pin It
Submit to Reddit
Favorite

CD Review: Karen Elson's The Ghost Who Walks 

By
click to enlarge music_reviews1-1_16.webp

The Deal: Wife of Jack White, founding member of The Citizens Band, releases her debut solo album.

The Good: I was pleasantly surprised on first listen. The 11 original songs have an old-school bluesy folk feel to them – something that fits in well with music that White would produce. White also provides drums on the album, while The Dead Weather's Jack Lawrence plays bass and My Morning Jacket's Carl Broemel is on pedal steel. Karen Elson has a cabaret-style voice – it floats effortlessly over the music in a way that sounds familiar, yet fresh. Her tone lies somewhere along the lines of PJ Harvey, or perhaps Norah Jones. Smooth and soothing, I found myself sinking into the album's tone and eagerly anticipating the next song when each one ended. "Lunasa," a cover of her Citizen's Band cohort Rachelle Garniez's song, has a folk tone to it, more than the cabaret sound of the rest of the album. "100 Years from Now" has a 1920s feel to it with victrola-like vocals. "Stolen Roses" sounds like an old sea-chant while "Cruel Summer" has more of a country vibe.

The Bad: Honestly, I expected something so much worse than what I got. I can't find anything to complain about.

The Verdict: That "wife of Jack White" label is going to stick for a long time, but Elson shows enough talent in her vocals on this album to show that she can stand alone. Overall, it's simply beautiful to listen to.

Third Man; Release date: May 25, 2010

More Hit & Run Reviews »

Pin It
Submit to Reddit
Favorite

Latest in Hit & Run Reviews

Calendar

More »

Search Events

all events
concerts
restaurants
movie times

Most Popular
Most Shared
Most Commented

© 2019 Womack Digital, LLC
Powered by Foundation