"I Can be Right for You" by Ellie Gowers
Review
Such is the dynamism of Ellie Gowers & her zest for sharing new music with you, that despite the popular & critical success of her last single "Love in a Park (on a Sunday Afternoon)" there has been no laurel resting activity as "I Can be Right for You" comes out today: the latest instalment of her forthcoming EP, 'You, the Passenger', which itself is due on 9th November.
While calling it "a bit of a sad one", she also seems relieved of an emotional burden by releasing it: let's face it, one word which must crop up often in reviews of this artist is "intense" and being the sole bearer of many of her highly emotional songs must be quite exhausting at times: much better for us to help her with the load.
Mind you, the quantity & quality of her live work recently must also make her yearn for the tranquillity of the wild country she appreciates so much. She's touring nationally herself, just been supporting Gemma Hayes on tour (including at the iconic Union Chapel) and beginning a tour as a member of The Magpies. And of course she's been playing as a member of Filkin's Ensemble too.
Another aspect of the high octane fuel on which her artistry runs (though she is not a fossil fuel fan I imagine) is how exquisitely Ellie can pirouette emotionally: that "Love in a Park (on a Sunday Afternoon)", easily the song where she abandons herself to unrestrained joy the most thrillingly, should be followed by one which is much cooler in temperature demonstrates not merely her range but the frisson of her live gigs where she takes you on an emotional journey of her own, rather than your itinerary. That's why her star rises so high: you may feel elated, drained or bits of both after seeing her play, but you are never left in a bland middle ground.
Picking up familiar Ellie motifs like birds on the wing, the sound is pretty unique: a sort of hybrid with nods to her earlier folk work but much lusher in the arrangement. She has evolved beyond the strict confines of genre while retaining the affection & admiration of her original audience (and it's worth observing perhaps that she still engages with the roots community via her ensemble activities).
The other big evolution is that after a career singing of others, whether humanity in general or the most specific nineteenth century individuals, in her current work, Ellie is finally exploring herself.
Whether "I Can be Right for You" serves as a direct narrative prequel to "Love in a Park (on a Sunday Afternoon)" (though it seems to work in that fashion) or not, the songs so far released from 'You, the Passenger', though not all introspective in nature (which she does very well mind you), certainly turn the spotlight upon the first person. Whether this was a reticence on her part earlier in her career or altruism, I cannot say (as I don't know), but it's good to see her deploying the compassion she has showed others upon herself.
This is Ellie Gowers though remember & while plenty of commercial wannabes would recycle the tropes on a song like this, she lays herself emotionally bare & while the arrangement may distract from the acerbity of the ideas for a while, it won't for long.
The track is so obviously aimed at one unspecified individual but its title serves as a payoff line for a reviewer: please feel free to apply it to yourselves in relation to this unique artist.
You can catch Ellie's Coventry date on her tour at The Tin on 9th November: tickets via this link
