More Than Just A Pretty Face: Karen Elson At Lincoln Hall

By Kim Bellware in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 17, 2010 8:20PM

It’s practically a modern pop-culture pastime to delight in the train wreck that can result when an actor- or model-turned-musician cuts their first album. The track record for such entertainers is spotty at best, so we were tempted to reserve a little cynicism for Karen Elson— (still probably best-known as the flame-haired, ghost white supermodel of things we can’t afford). To do so would have been a bit unfair to Elson, who isn’t really new to the game at all: she's lent her talent to collaborations with Cat Power and Robert Plant, and sings with the cabaret-styled collective she co-founded, The Citizens Band.

Neither a veteran or novice in the music world, armed with her set of handsome, Americana-soaked numbers and backed by a band that’s a mini super group unto itself (members are from The Citizens Band, My Morning Jacket and The Dead Weather), Elson eased the doubts we had Tuesday night at Lincoln Hall.

Early in the set with “The Truth is in the Dirt,” Elson’s voice grabbed us immediately: clear and pretty, her vocals warm even the eeriest of songs, yet stay unfussy enough to let her excellent band shine through on the cigar box, steel guitar, bass, keys and drums. On nearly every track from Elson’s album, The Ghost Who Walks, glimpses of dustbowl imagery and Appalachian-sounding overtones strongly recall Loretta Lynn, circa her Van Lear Rose comeback period (both albums were produced by Elson’s husband, Jack White). The songs, most of which Elson wrote, are solidly composed, strengthened by the dimensions of country, blues, folk-roots and cabaret. Strangely though, despite her music being informed by genres known for their emotive power, and the fact that Elson herself is a charming if not able performer, something in her songs failed to land any kind of punch. Occasionally touches of electric fiddle and accordion would lend an extra texture to songs like “Lunasa” and “Last Laugh,” but the effect was disappointingly fleeting.

The audience was a bit of a strange beast, too: restless and tepid with is response, seeming unsure and uneven in is applause. None of it fazed Elson, who graciously returned for a few encore songs, including a cover of Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” and the chilling but lovely “Mouths to Feed.”

We learned that Elson’s musical chops are real, and though we found her as beautiful to listen to as she is to look at, what was missing in her songs we hope she finds on her follow-up record so that next time, she truly sticks with us.