Singles, or basically single tracks these days, rarely function as a self-contained piece of music. In most cases, artists now have a dual intention with such ‘singles’ – one is for them to serve as a teaser for a forthcoming album or EP release, the other is to get included in a streaming playlist (possibly viral) of some sort. It could be fit into a specific genre playlist or a more diverse one, usually to cover a certain mood.
It essentially seems that the art of releasing a proper single that was ushered in with that 7” round plastic thing has been lost for decades, only to be slowly re-hashed with record store days of some sort or the other.
But now comes the San Francisco Folk/Americana artist EllaHarp with her self-standing single (track) “Shotgun Sadie.” There’s no album or EP announcement coming with it, that is it. Of course, if somebody wants to stick it into a playlist, I’m sure EllaHarp will be fine with it.
And actually, they should. Because it is quite a powerful and perfectly executed song (with the help of The False Bottom Band) in the shape of a murder ballad about a woman who shoots her abusive husband. Quite a modern subject line in a form of an old musical form, EllaHarp doing both justice.
The music is strengthened by an excellent melody and vocals, underpinned by a mini 5-string banjo designed by Harp herself, and the supporting band formed during quarantine with the owners/brewers at a local craft brewery. Essentially, it does more for EllaHarp’s future releases just by itself. Excellent.
