In Conversation With #129 - Esther Rose
New Orleans artist Esther Rose has just released her album ‘How Many Times’ - a country classic with an edge. She took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey Esther, how are you? So your new album is out now, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Howdy! Thanks for checking in. I still feel giddy with excitement and suspense, but I'm starting to come back down to earth a bit. This record feels like a huge release in more ways than one.
It is titled ‘How Many Times’ - what is the meaning behind that?
Of all the songs on the record, How Many Times is the one that encapsulates that time of my life best. The night I wrote it I was numb, depressed, lonely, but that was nothing new. What was new was sitting with those feelings and somehow getting this song out of it. That process, that moment, it’s like I unlocked a door in my mind that had always been there. And the result, this soft-rock groovy little tune… it’s like magic when it comes together.
Where was it written and recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from that process?
I wrote the songs over the course of two years in all the houses I lived in and hotels and green rooms I toured through. I recorded at The Tigermen Den in New Orleans with Ross Farbe engineering and co-producing.
While writing this album, you moved three times, had a relationship end and played numerous tour dates - do you feel these stages in your life have kind of turned this release into an ‘awakening album’?
This is my third record and it feels like the natural progression; the songs are stronger, the band is kicking, the production is a little cleaner. I don’t know if it’s an ‘awakening’ but I do know it’s my best work yet.
Throughout the album you use a 1962 Gibson ES-120T - is that your favourite guitar? If so - why?
Before I found the Gibson I played a 1940’s Kay, a gorgeous and cranky acoustic guitar that always needed work. The Gibson was a game changer for my live shows. It’s very sleek and responsive. I played it unplugged on the record because it has such a lively, percussive strum. It’s a hollow body guitar so it’s kind of in between an electric & acoustic.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
Heartbreak, introspection, revival
Do you have a favourite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
’getting closer to the ground’ / turtle bone.
I love this lyric because it’s quite mysterious and yet it’s very personal to me. I like the thought of people puzzling over it. I’m always happiest when I don’t try to commodify my songs for anyone else’s benefit or over-explain things.
Now the album is out there, what next for you?
There are some very exciting collaborations ahead… and then I will turn back into a werewolf and record my next album, only to emerge for the next album cycle.