Album Review: Karen Elson Offers You A Bouquet Of “Double Roses”

If Edgar Allan Poe was a modern, female singer of folksy pop ballads, he world be Karen Elson. The starry songstress has been known for giving pop a sense of magical realism, or rather a literature genre known for making the daily mundane of life appear mystical. Her new album, Double Roses, might as well be the poet’s song-book.

Double Roses has a dark mysticism to it, with piano keys and violins playing like they were mourning. Tracks like, “Wolf”, “Raven”, and “Distant Shore” use nature, both primal and environmental, to show how beauty can be distanced. The keyword being: DISTANCED. How we push away beauty from living within and around us is what drives Elson’s writing that seems like tales of the wonderful things that could have been. From remembering love that was, “Call Your Name”, or admiring light that is far, “Million Stars”, Elson has created an album that gorgeously embodies how “boxed in” and “cut off” we can feel from greatness. She even reaches the lyrical/ raw moment when you ask, “Why Am I Waiting?”. This song stands out stylistically because it sounds as if cupid is playing its chords with an electric harp. Still, more importantly, it captures the spiritual pinnacle we all undergo when deciding if we are going to go for what we want or leave it because cannot stay in the “inbetween” anymore. For some reason, it is hard for humanity to feel beauty; presently, potently, and powerfully. The idea of always reaching for loveliness is furthered by Elson’s fabled voice.

Elson’s vocals seem perfect for a story-teller. In songs such as “Wonderblind” and “The End”, her voice is mutually plush and smoky. It is as if she her voice is a monsoon, coming forward with winded, orange hues of people’s fate. In some ways, it is destiny that Elson’s voice has a penchant for theatricality. Her adulthood has been one of travel, as a top supermodel, while her childhood was one of refuge, raised in the industrial city of Manchester, England. Thus, Elson knows how to vocally emanate the desire to see everything and be everywhere, while feeling like you cannot, especially since her album was written in over 7 years as she became a mom, helped others artists’ through collaboration, and continued dominating the world of fashion. It has been busy years for year, but music is a love that cannot be forgotten. As the call to record gnawed at her, you can hear a trapped emotion that brings a subtle tension to her songs. Yet, that stress is overpowered by how pretty this album is, which I admire, because singing songs of longing is not, exactly, a pretty theme or process. Missing something is painful, but Elson’s Double Roses is cathartic. For More Information On Karen Elson And To Buy Double Roses On April 7 Click Here.