Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas” has planted its roots at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for five nonconsecutive weeks, but on her new album, Dandelion, she proves that the array of songs on the project are just as grounded in her ever-evolving artistic outlook as they are in her Alabama upbringing.
Across 16 songs (with the album bookended by Langley’s take on the traditional folk poem “Froggy Goes A-Courtin'”), Langley explores heartbreak, love, loss faith, and her unwavering dedication to being exactly who she is. Some songs are entrenched in soft-focused, acoustic-driven melodies, such as “Speaking Terms” and “Most Good Things Do,” but she also showcases her prowess with a ’90s country-leaning barnburner with “I Gotta Quit.”
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She offers her own steel guitar and piano-soaked rendition of the Kitty Wells classic “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Elsewhere, she teams with Miranda Lambert on “Butterfly Season,” as they contemplate what it means to evolve and mature emotionally, transitioning from one era to another.
“Be Her” finds Langley etching a portrait of the type of woman she aspires to be — one who is confident in herself, who speaks honestly and truthfully, and is content with the community she has built around her. While some songs, such as “Bottom of Your Boots,” find her yearning for a consistent, steady kind of romance, other songs such as “Last Call for Us” look frankly at dissolving romances.
As she celebrates the release of her latest project, Langley also just earned seven ACM Awards nominations leading up to the 61st annual ACM Awards in May. Among her nominations are female artist of the year, single of the year (“Choosin’ Texas”) and song of the year (“Choosin’ Texas”).
