Perfume. Elisa Smith

How long can I maintain the position that I do not like country music? There's country music I heard when growing up as a teenager. There the position is quite clear and little has changed. Let's say from the second half of the 1990s things blurred with bands like The Walkabouts, that brilliant Hazeldine album 'Digging You Up', my favourite The Jayhawks albums and later The Hackensaw Boys' take on bluegrass and a country singer like Karen Jonas. They all tilted my look on what country (and folk) music could also be.

Enter Elisa Smith. The Boston based singer accepted a prize for female song of the year at the Grand Ole Opry in 2025 for the song 'Nashville Don't Forget Me'. On her new album Perfume she skates past several forms of country music in a way Karen Jonas does and, yes, a few songs make shudder, a few really rock and a few are just so beautiful. More than enough to make me write a few words and put my modest spotlight on Perfume.

The album opens with a stark country rocker 'Angels (Who Take No Shit)'. The short intro even promises more than is delivered. The lyrics take a stance for women. Musically this could be a Karen Jonas rocker, while in the song's music and lyrics Elisa Smith also tips her hat to Dolly Parton in a few ways and adds her own defiant stance. As an album opener it is extremely strong but also a little misleading, because after the next song 'The Hard Way', the mood of the album changes slowly but surely. 'The Hard Way' rocks in a more dirty way then 'Angels (Who Don't Take Shit)'. A violin is added as a lead instrument, like Papa John Creach added violin pepper to Jefferson Starship in the mid-70s. Elisa Smith has an edge to her voice that suits this rocking side of her music just fine.

The third song 'Smut' brings Perfume into Hazeldine territory. The tempo goes down and country and rock blend into a ballad where slow notes take over, space is created in the rhythm that an organ is allowed to fill here and there, making the contrast between the full band participation and the holding back parts extra strong. Anyone who is not familiar with Hazeldine's 'Drive' pay heed and check it out.

In the fifth song the mood changes for real for the first time. The country flavour takes over, with the violin, acoustic guitar and peddle steel taking over big time. 'Spilled Whiskey' is a song that is on the edge of my country tolerance. Like Rory Block did decades ago with her song 'Lovin' Whiskey'.

The rocking side returns with 'Gimme A Mustang', that sits in nicely with the opening song. 'Motherin'' may be up tempo, it does fall more to my bad side. It may have more to do with Elisa Smith singing with a country timbre than the song itself. The country/blue grass song 'Made To Break' is in the same corner. This is the side I just don't take a shine to.

And then something happens that is the real surprise of the album. Perfume moves into its third shape, country ballads. Although, the music may be too much seen from a rock side of music, Elisa Smith creates pure beauty in 'My Daughter's Hand' and 'Spin Me Around Again'. Especially the latter song really resonates within me. What is extra telling about the quality of her singing, is that she carries this song so well also. She rocks and can sing with a soft voice. The final and title song 'Perfume' adds another ballad to the whole and again a beautiful one.

Summing up, with Perfume Elisa Smith has shown exactly where I stand with country music. Overall Perfume wins out on points easily.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Perfume here:

https://elisasmith.bandcamp.com/album/perfume