Elle King

One Liner: The Ex's and Oh's lady has more scratchy-voiced, country-spiked pop. 

Wikipedia Genre: Americana, blues rock, alternative country, rock
Home: L.A.

Poster Position: 12
Day: Sunday at 3:00
Both Weekends.

Thoughts:  Brought this one up with no idea it was going to be the Ex's and Oh's girl.  That song annoys the shit out of me.  It is hard to remember the first time I heard it, since it has been overplayed to death by the radio since then, but maybe I kinda dug it when I first heard it?  Now it just grates my nerves.  Obviously, that is her top track, with 223.7 million streams.

Kind of a cool sound, the rockabilly thump of the music and her rough voice soaring over the top.  But once you've heard it 387 times, it looses some luster.  That being said, her second most streamed tune is infinitely worse.  "America's Sweetheart" is country in the way that Avicii made that half electro-half banjo hit a few years back.  26.9 million streams.

Is that an ad for freaking Lyft?  Or even for Beats by Dre?  Something about the beats + banjos, combined with all of the lyrical ATTITUDE and BOSS BABENESS gets deep under my skin immediately.  Feels like a soulless perfect hit written by a team of guys on Music Row and then handed to King to conquer the charts.  She really belts the shit out of the chorus too.  Also, what up with that odd Irish flute firing in for a random second at like 2:13?  She kind of reminds me of a Drew Barrymore doing a bit - Charlie's Angels - Banjo Fever!

Her real name is Tanner Elle Schneider, and she just turned 29.  She actually plays the banjo, so all of the banjo in these songs is the real deal, not like some schtick that she planned to add into her songs.  Wait, holy shit, she is the daughter of Rob Schneider.  Duece Bigalow!  She was actually in that movie!

Oh man.  I don't think I ever watched that movie, but it looks truly godawful.

Only one album (2015's Love Stuff), and then an early EP from 2012 (with an extremely racy live version of "My Neck, My Back").  Her early sound is less rough voiced, and more of that annoying sound that is very current today where the singer almost creates a nasal tone with a forced torchiness.  My daughter emulates this when singing and it bugs.  Dang, so Ex's and Oh's came out in 2014?  And its still on the radio all the time?  Actually impressive.

Oh, wow.  The first track on her album was actually produced by Avicii.  Maybe working with King is what inspired him to do his "Wake Me Up" song?  Both were done in 2013, so it could be.  Weird.

Anyhoo, reading back through this review, I'm pretty much 100% negative.  But to be honest, her album is pretty good.  "Ex's" has been overplayed to death, and I don't like "Sweetheart," but some of these songs dial down the brassiness and sound cool.  Like "Under the Influence," which is more like an Amy Winehouse track with a good groove.  And the Joan Jett-esque rasp on "Last Damn Night."  "Kocaine Karolina" is like a chilled Mumford track, and "Make You Smile" makes me think of Mumford too - thumping and slightly cheesy.  "Ain't Gonna Drown" is a little gospel, a little Winehouse, dark and nuanced.  When she stops trying so hard, this can be good.

But would I go see her do it live?  Conflicted about it, but I guess if the band up against her isn't strong, then sure.