Elizabeth P.W. is a Brooklyn, USA-based composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Her music is best described as folk, but seen through the lens of someone who loves modern cinema. Her new album is the follow up to her 2019 debut Haven’t Found It. It’s called The Company You Keep.
By Graeme Smith
As the title suggests, The Company You Keep is about human experience and relationships. It was written during the pandemic, a time when our relationship with each other took on new meaning, and Elizabeth channels a lot of those emotions that came with isolation into her eleven tracks.
It opens with Chosen Heart which features plucked banjo and a classic country style. It’s lively, the kind of track that makes you want to move along, but Elizabeth’s vocals provides an emotional depth that stops you in your tracks. It’s a strong start.
Black and Blue brings a classic folk rock style with it. Lyrically, it feels vulnerable, and that vulnerability is beautifully emoted by Elizabeth’s vocals. We are then treated to the album’s title track. A delicately intimate number, the instrumentals have an effective simplicity about them, leaving plenty of room for the cathartic story of the lyrics.
Brooklyn is an ode to Elizabeth’s home. Leaning more towards the traditional folk side of her sound, there’s a historical feel about its story. Medicine is a quiet, reflective moment of intimacy. It’s a highlight. If I’m Ever Happy sits at the centre of the album, providing a tentatively uplifting counterpoint to the melancholia of Medicine.
Give You Love feels like the album’s poppiest moment, with a catchy chorus and a heart-warming message. The soulful Call It then leads into Someone Who Believes You, a slow-burning tribute to an uncertain future.
Looking Sideways provides a late-album moment of jazz before the album is closed by Home. A return to folk rock, it ends the album’s story with a sense of optimism and acceptance. Love is re-found and the future, though unknown, feels bright. It’s a beautiful finish.
The Company You Keep is a wonderfully realised album from a songwriter who clearly knows what she’s doing. The musical composition are spot on but what really makes this album special is how much of herself Elizabeth has put into it. The vulnerability she shows in its lyrics make her story feeling utterly relatable.
You can check out the whole album below.
