Existing at the intersection of the two major retro-roots movements of the new millennium -- the beehived, swinging '60s soul of
Amy Winehouse
and the bluesy roar of
the White Stripes
--
Elle King
's debut,
Love Stuff
, feels like a record that should've happened prior to 2015. Surprisingly,
King
is the only musician to mine this territory but she's not quite stuck in the past, whether that means the 20th century source or the canny revivals of
Winehouse
and
Jack White
. She knows enough to thread in some echoes of the big-footed folk stomp of
Mumford & Sons
(not to mention a banjo she proudly brandishes in all her publicity material), a sound that comes to a crest on "America's Sweetheart." There,
claims she's not America's Sweetheart and she spends a good chunk of
putting on those aggressive airs, swanning about like a spunky spitfire, a mean girl who goes where the devil don't go. What works on
has considerable charm. When
walks a fine line between rock crunch and soul testifying, there's some fire: the swinging fuzz of "Ex's & Oh's," the spooky slow-grind of "Under the Influence," the blues stumble of "Last Damn Night" and "Jackson," where she ties all these sounds together. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine