My Wild West signifies a departure from Lissie's more pop based sound, with a sense of maturity and melancholy on this beautiful record.
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Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, also known by her stage name Lissie has been in the popular sphere since 2009 when she released her debut EP Why You Runnin’, followed by the release of her first album Catching a Tiger. Lissie also interestingly co-wrote ‘The Longest Road’ with Morgan Page, which landed in the dance charts after it was remixed by Deadmau5. But the albums and EPs released by her are ultimately pop rock, with a heavy country dimension – clearly a projection of her Midwestern roots.
Having seen Lissie and her band numerous times perform live it never ceases to amaze me that she is 33 years old, as there is something very youthful about both her performance and music. But on her newest release there seems to be a departure from this youthfulness, and there is a sense of maturity, which is felt especially with her lyrics. Lissie’s voice is something entirely unique and is worth mentioning, I don’t know if it comes as a combination of her accent, raspiness, and admirable range but it is really beautiful.
This 12-track album has a more peaceful and sombre tone in comparison to her other previous two releases (Catching a Tiger and Back To Forever), and always her knack for song-writing and stunning voice shine across the entire record. The album opens on the somewhat melancholy ‘My Wild West Overture’, followed by ‘Hollywood’, and then the title track ‘Wild West’, which appears to be one of the most catchy on the record. Although there is a notable sadness to the album there is also a sense of power and female empowerment across the tracks which comes across as almost inspiring on first listen. The track ‘Daughters’ falls eighth on the album and conveys a heavy ‘girl power’ message, with the lyrics “we are the daughters, we are the mothers, we are each other” resonating with listeners. Other tracks worth mentioning are ‘Don’t You Give Up On Me’, ‘Shroud’ and ‘Stay’- one of the strongest lyrically on the album also featuring a banjo accompaniment that adds a gorgeous layer to the heartfelt song.
Coming as her third album, My Wild West manages to maintain Lissie’s distinctive sound whilst conveying a clear departure from her usual pop sound, to something more mature and grown up.
My Wild West is out now via Lionboy Records.
