Previously a dabbler in all manners of rootsy American music -- she nevertheless wore her blues devotion as a badge of pride, at least on her sophomore set
Shake the Spirit
--
Elle King
decided to put all of her chips on country music after her 2021
Miranda Lambert
duet "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" became her biggest hit since "Ex's & Oh's." Once that became a number one Country airplay hit,
King
ditched a pop album she completed with producer
Greg Kurstin
in favor of cutting the album that became
Come Get Your Wife
, combining her originals with some Nashville readymades. Listen closely to
, and it's possible to discern songs where
is pushing the country angle a bit too hard -- witness "Try Jesus," an overstuffed secular gospel number where
shrugs and decides to give herself to God, much like she embraced country -- yet there are fewer of these moments than might be expected. Working primarily with
Ross Copperman
, a producer/songwriter who has collaborated with
Dierks Bentley
(who also appears here on "Worth a Shot"),
embraces an insistent brand of country driven by arena rock rhythms and adult contemporary hooks. It's a blend that suits her, placing her sharp nasal twang in flattering relief and harnessing her full-throated delivery so it powers the song, not overwhelms it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine