by Conor Lochrie (conornoconnor)
True catharsis has always lain within a truly heartbreaking country song: a few minutes of ached crying, staring into the abyss of romance and loss, and a temporary peace comes over the singer. This is something Esther Rose recognizes and so we have her new EP, released via Father/Daughter Records, filled with covers of some of her favorite depressing country anthems.
The album’s title signals a duality: that these songs are treasured by her, intimately felt by her, but that she’s aware that her versions of them won’t necessarily be flawless. Merely containing four songs, it’s a short but enjoyable excursion into Rose’s influences. The recordings mix the sweetness of Rose’s vocals with the muscular performance of her band and, if nothing else, this release warrants praise for the palpable confidence shown by Rose in even attempting it, covering such old titans as Roy Orbison and Hank Williams. Sheryl Crow is first up though, with Rose changing her classic song “My Favorite Mistake”. The heavy blues rock of Crow’s original is removed in favor of a rawer folk sound. The song is about a woeful ex-boyfriend - purportedly written about Eric Clapton by Crow - and the melancholic folk of Rose’s cover brings a more melancholic touch of sadness to proceedings.
It’s the second track that really inspired the whole idea of the album. While opening for Nick Lowe on tour, Rose was transfixed nightly by his meandering “Blue On Blue”. Less is changed in this instance, perhaps owing to Rose’s emotional memories of first discovering the single, but Rose’s dreamier voice carries the song better.
The iconic Williams - that weary belter of so many songs of loneliness - was always going to be a mean feat to cover but Rose does so with enough aplomb. Assisted by her duet partner Lee Walker, the duo’s gentle harmonies do justice to the excellent “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)”.
The last song is essentially a double cover, given Roy Orbison’s original “Blue Bayou” became such a major chart success for Linda Ronstadt, and Rose chooses to just use an acoustic guitar as accompaniment. She wouldn’t be able to match the flexible warbling of Orbison but her stripped back version makes for an intimate and sad end.
Rose’s 2019 album You Made It This Far was an intoxicating blend of gentle folk and stomping country and was quietly one of the best releases of that year - My Favorite Mistakes is a nice middle moment of reflection before her follow up arrives and one wonders how much the EP will influence its direction.