KAREN ELSON ANNOUNCES ALBUM DETAILS
THE GHOST WHO WALKS TO BE RELEASED ON THIRD MAN/XL ON MAY 25TH
Karen Elson’s The Ghost Who Walks marks the debut solo release from the British singer/songwriter. Her transformation from fashion’s favorite redheaded ingénue to beguiling chanteuse has been something of a slow burn. In 2003 she provided vocals for a version of Robert Plant’s “Last Time I Saw Her” and in 2006 she recorded an English language version of “Je T’Aime..Moi Non Plus” (“I Love You… Me Neither”) with Cat Power for a Serge Gainsbourg tribute album, but her main musical outlet has been as a founding member of New York City cabaret The Citizens Band, a downtown collective of musicians, performers, artists and acrobats whose lively Weimar-esque performances have enjoyed successful theatrical runs of their politically thematic shows.
The 11 original compositions on The Ghost Who Walks were all written following Karen’s 2005 relocation from New York City to Nashville. While making her home – and raising two children - in the city of country music, Karen took to writing songs for The Citizens Band and found she had plenty of other melodies in her head. Writing almost exclusively in the sanctuary of a closet in her bedroom, Karen’s songwriting blossomed. A fledgling songwriter might naturally be nervous to play their work for a spouse but for Karen the trepidation was exacerbated by her husband’s own talent. It took many months of cajoling for Karen to play Jack White her songs but his reaction was immediate: let’s get into the studio.
Once there Karen quickly put together a band, her cabaret cohort Rachelle Garniez on accordion and vocals, The Dead Weather’s Dean Fertita on guitar and organ, My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel on pedal steel and brother-in-law Jackson Smith on guitar. Jack White took the role of producer and provided drums. Karen added a cover of Garniez’s “Lunasa” to the recordings and within a matter of weeks she had an album’s worth of material. Two of her more theatrical tracks, “100 Years From Now” and “Mouths To Feed,” inspired in part by author Tim Egan’s dust bowl saga, The Worst Hard Time, were originally penned for her cabaret troupe. The rest of the album richly evokes the lonesome feel of country (“Cruel Summer”), the tormented side of the blues (“The Truth Is In the Dirt”) and the haunted stories of traditional folk balladry (“Stolen Roses”). Graphic artist Rob Jones took inspiration from Karen’s penchant for peach and black to create gorgeously smoldering album art.
Karen has already won critical praise for her stunning voice, but The Ghost Who Walks is still bound to surprise those who’ve never seen her perform. Following impressive shows in Nashville and at SXSW Karen and her band will take to the stage tonight in New York City for a performance at Le Poisson Rouge.
For more information contact Chloe Walsh or Sarah Usher at Press Here Publicity
chloe@pressherepublicity.com/
sarah@pressherepublicity.comTrack List for The Ghost Who Walks:
1. The Ghost Who Walks
2. The Truth Is The Dirt
3. Pretty Babies
4. Lunasa
5. 100 Years From Now
6. Stolen Roses
7. Cruel Summer
8. Garden
9. The Birds They Circle
10. A Thief At My Door
11. The Last Laugh
12. Mouths To Feed
