She bangs a drum- letting the missus have a go.
30 Mar
Karen Elson, semi-retired supermodel and wife of Jack White, has recently recorded an album debuting her talents as a singer-songwriter. The album will be released in conjunction with Mr. White’s label; he also produced and played drums on the album. Other members of the band include Mark Watrous of the Raconteurs, and Jackson Smith, who is married to Meg White. At recent gigs she has worn a vintage peach dress that matches her hair, suede shoes the designer named after her, and playing a $4000 Gibson from 1917.
Everything mentioned above belies one fact: Karen Elson has a decent singing voice. In both the video for the single off the album and a grainy cellphone video from a recent gig in New York, Ms. Elson’s voice sounds both comfortable and strong. If it seems as though the pedigree of the album, and indeed of this whole venture, is viewed through a snarky lens, that’s because it is, or rather very easily can be. Therein lies the largest critique that can be leveled at Karen Elson, singer-songwriter: the whole thing stinks of vanity project. Karen Elson might actually turn out to be a talented musician (vocal talent aside, the songwriting needs work), but who the hell at this point is paying attention to that? Most write-ups I’ve read seem more concerned what she’s wearing and who is or isn’t at the show; they read like the gossip page of a high school news paper, which is about right. At their most insidious, the worlds of rock and fashion are cool tables in the lunch room of pop culture; Ms. Elson is jumping from one popular clique to another. Let’s assume there are countless lithe redheads with decent voices releasing an acoustic-based album of their own material- how many of theses striving sirens do you think got gigs at this year’s South By Southwest? Let alone the uncounted legions of young women hoping to get heard whom genetics has preordained will never grace the cover of Vogue.
If a music blog were a lead pipe, I’m sure there are plenty lining up to swing theirs at the kneecaps of Ms. Elson. I simply want to offer this advise: try harder. Go it alone. Fire your drummer; get a different producer- if you want people to take you seriously as a musician, do it without relying on, or appearing that you rely on, your husband and his friends. Wouldn’t it be a more satisfying experience if the asterisk was removed? Rock people have such a sexist, patronizing, knee-jerk reaction to women trying to make it in music- why give them any ammunition? Fight against (or better yet, abandon) the innate hipness of your station- it so easily can be read as insincerity. Second acts are possible in American lives, they just can’t be built solely on the strengths of the first.
Her husband has an entire studio at his and her disposal and he is a critically acclaimed producer. Why not use him? Why use a different producer just so the critics don’t accuse her of hitching a ride on his back? Maybe she doesn’t give a shit. If she did use a different producer, then it would be glaringly obvious she was doing it just to avoid the stigma of having her husband produce it. I agree that Jack’s influence is all over this visually, but at least by working with him it can help get her foot through the door. Next time around she can go out on her own. By the way, I saw Karen at SXSW and she was VERY good. She really surpassed my expectations. She plays guitar to every song. They are enjoyable and catchy enough with a great voice to go along with them. She and Him have been at SXSW for the past two years. Would they have been booked right off the bat if Zooey Deschanel wasn’t it in the band? I doubt it.
Her husband has an entire studio at his and her disposal and he is a critically acclaimed producer. Why not use him? Why use a different producer just so the critics don’t accuse her of hitching a ride on his back? Maybe she doesn’t give a shit. If she did use a different producer, then it would be glaringly obvious she was doing it just to avoid the stigma of having her husband produce it. I agree that Jack’s influence is all over this visually, but at least by working with him it can help get her foot through the door. Next time around she can go out on her own. By the way, I saw Karen at SXSW and she was VERY good. She really surpassed my expectations. She plays guitar to every song. They are enjoyable and catchy enough with a great voice to go along with them. She and Him have been at SXSW for the past two years. Would they have been booked right off the bat if Zooey Deschanel wasn’t it in the band? I doubt it.