Singer/songwriter Elizabeth Nelson has a way with words – as well she should, as the author of acclaimed articles for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and others. She drops keen wit, pop culture references, thoughtful observations, and a passion for finding the good left in the world into nearly every lyric. But she’s well aware that songs are not poems or prose; they require music to come alive.
So, with her band The Paranoid Style’s fifth album _Known Associates, she wraps her sharp observations and wistful historical narratives in melodic tunes that stick to the ribs. “A Barrier to Entry” rides a straightforward frontier rock rhythm, frosted by a sixties country lick and Nelson’s deadpan vocals. “It’s a Dog’s Breakfast (for LR)” pays tribute to iconic songstress Linda Ronstadt via an understatedly celebratory anthem, complete with handclaps, while the moody “Elegant Bachelors” does the same, if somewhat obliquely, for former Ronstadt drummer Don Henley. Nelson takes on the numbness infecting American life in “White Wine Whatever” with blazing roots rock, its fire balanced by her coolly conversational singing. Aided by lead guitarist Peter Holsapple, the title track invites us to sing along to her battle against resignation in the face of open corruption.
In a time when records seem to need an army of writers (plus samples) and a lather of slick electropop production in order to be noticed, it’s refreshing to hear a tunesmith so dedicated to both craft and production that gets out of its way. Known Associates is another sterling example of what makes the Paranoid Style worth hearing.
