#1 Elle King Triumphantly Transforms Country Music with ‘Come Get Your Wife’: Album Review

Elle King Building towards the album

Elle King has made a bold move in her career with the release of her latest album, Come Get Your Wife, which sees her diving headfirst into the world of country music. But this transition was not a sudden one for Elle King, who has been slowly building towards this moment since 2016. The album, which features 12 tracks, is a tribute to Elle King’s roots, love, and personal journey. It tells the story of Elle King’s journey through song and is perfect for both a night out or a quiet night in.

Elle King / via (youtube.com)

The album opens with a nod to King’s family, which is fitting as it was her brother who first introduced her to country music. “I didn’t know who Dierks Bentley was,” King said in an interview with American Songwriter. “I called my brother because he listens to country music, and he was like, ‘It’s Dierks Bentley, Ellie, you have to do that song!'” The song that Elle King’s brother was referring to was “Different For Girls,” which was released in 2016 and set King on her current path.

The success of thatsong led to a duet with Miranda Lambert titled “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” which dominated the Country Airplay Chart, solidifying King’s place in the country music scene.

While earning No. 1’s is an achievement for any artist, it was the country fanbase that truly pushed King to continue in the same vein as “Drunk.” “Country fans are very different than the other fans that I had experienced,” King said. “They all reminded me of my brother, my sister, my family, my cousins, my nephews, my nieces. I felt this connection that felt like home.”

King’s love for her family and roots is evident in the album’s opener, “Ohio,” which serves as a love letter to her home state. But the album also delves into the messier parts of King’s journey, with songs like “Before You Met Me” and “Try Jesus” providing a candid look into King’s past. King has always been open about her past, and this album is no different. “Showcasing my messy parts – that comes easy,” King said.

“I think that there’s a lot of strength and vulnerability in that. I am as open as I ever have been in my life.”

For the first time in her career, King also sought out songs from outside writers, a process that she found to be unique to Nashville. While focusing on having her first child, she turned to writers like 23-year-old Ella Langley for help. “We probably wrote eight songs in two days,” King said. “The second day, I walked on the bus and Ella [Langley] said ‘I have this idea for a chorus: Tulsa spelled backward.

‘” The resulting song, “A Slut,” is a cleverly coded dig at an ex, but King is quick to point out that the song is not meant to attack women. “I don’t ever want to attack women or take any steps backward for us,” King said. “We still have it hard enough as it is. I really wanted to take a moment in the song to be smart and say, ‘it’s not you, it’s the guy in this instance. The guy is cheating on me. It’s his fault and you should be careful.”

Elle King / Via (youtube.com)

The album closes with a belted ballad titled “Love Go By.” King penned the song years ago but, brought it back out towards the end of the writing process and found it to be just the ticket to round out the record. “‘Drunk’ taught me to get out of the way of a song and to let things have their own life,” she says. “I had completely forgotten that I had written ‘Love Go By.’ “It’s interesting how you can put something away for so long and then come back to it and it still resonates with you.

It’s a reminder that the things you put into the world can come back to you in unexpected ways. That’s the beauty of art and music, it has the ability to endure.” With Come Get Your Wife, Elle King has proved that she has the ability to endure and evolve as an artist. She has found her place in the country music scene, and with this album, she’s solidifying her spot in the genre. It’s a journey worth listening to and one that will leave you wanting more.

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