New York– A few years ago, ella langley emerged as a saving grace for modern country music because it dared to look back. “You look like you love me,” his award winner, The inevitable 2024 hit with Riley Green, taken from another era – all pedal steel and spoken word choruses, told from different perspectives on the same night. It put them on the map six years after the release of their first single.
Having such a big song can be a curse – or at least, a hindrance – for a new artist, as they are tasked with building on their success, bypassing the curse of the one-hit wonder. But the Alabama singer-songwriter has done so with ease. And her second album, “Dandelion,” will be released Friday, co-produced by Langley, miranda lambert And Ben West, only further proves his worth.
The lead single “Choosin’ Texas” may be her “You Look Like You Love Me” of the current moment, a rare No. 1 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for a female country artist and a radio mainstay that defies the reputation of the country industry. to fail to support She is a female artist. (If that’s not enough to impress non-believers, maybe it is: As of this writing, “Choosin’ Texas” has spent five weeks at the top, the longest run for a song by a female artist who also reached No. 1 on the country chart. Whose record did she best? Taylor Swift, Of course.) Looks like Langley and his earworms are too big to fail.
It’s not just “picking Texas,” although that’s an extraordinary thing. “Dandelion” plays to Langley’s old spirit powers. The album opens with the age-old folk song and nursery rhyme “Froggy Went a Courteen”, followed by a few tracks worthy of their own myth-making: the homesick title track “Dandelion”, the credit-closing cinema of “Low Lights”, the sweet duet harmonies with Ernest on “Loving Life Again”, and so on.
The strongest moments showcase Langley’s Southern swagger as well as a penchant for sadness: “Choosing Texas,” sure, but also “I Gotta Quit” and the undeniable stomper “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” a reference to the song “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Leading singer Kitty Wells 1952 song of the same name. Wells is largely viewed as the first female country music superstar and the first woman to top the country charts. Between that nod and Langley’s work with Lambert, the young singer has done more than just extend her well wishes to those who paved the way. She worships him.
In the modern era, where country music is full of retro traditionalists – usually male artists, such as Zach Tops Flickering george straight Pooja – Langley brings the past into her present, blending tragic insight with contemporary acuity. She is not a revisionist, but a nostalgic one, who sees value in using old tools to tell new stories. Wisdom and vulnerability sit side by side in her lyrics; so does a bottle of jack daniels And a tall drink of water on the bar stool to his right. And isn’t that what country music is all about?
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“Dandelion” by Ella Langley.
Four out of five stars.
On repeat: “Choosin’ Texas,” “Butterfly Season” featuring Miranda Lambert.
Skip this: “You & Time for Me,” “Terms of Speech”
For fans of: Bourbon, Flirting in a Dance Hall, “Amarillo by Morning”
