I guess the time has come for us to talk about Ella Langley, since her hit ‘Choosin’ Texas’ is doing very well in the United States, yes, because in Spain her name doesn’t even ring a bell. I don’t know if this will soon stop being the case or if, at 27 years old, she will still dare to make a crossover into mass pop like Taylor Swift did. I honestly don’t think so: Langley right now is something like the female version of Morgan Wallen. And the comparison is not accidental: both have collaborated and are friends.
The thing is, Langley is breaking records. ‘Choosin’ Texas’ has just added its tenth week at number 1 in the United States; no female country singer had ever done it, not even Swift. ‘Be Her’, his other current big hit, occupies the top 2, meaning Langley has signed the top two spots on the Billboard Hot 100, a very rare feat. And for the second week in a row.
Langley’s profile is less controversial than Wallen’s, at least. Although Langley is an avowed Christian and expresses her devotion to Jesus in interviews or public interventions, her public profession of faith remains subtle in the lyrics, which in ‘Choosin’ Texas’ resort to the most hackneyed country clichés (drinkin’ Jack, Hank tunes, the Memphis blues), and in ‘Be Her’ she describes an aspirational identity of someone who takes care of her family, her faith, and drinks in moderation.
The instrumental packaging is traditionally country-pop and is as pleasant as it is bland, pure easy listening country that is melodious but narratively uninspired. We put our hand in the fact that the latest proposals from Kacey Musgraves or Kevin Morby are infinitely more interesting in form and content.
