117 Music

Release Date: June 23rd 2023

Reviewed by: Joshua Andre

Karissa Ella– It’s Personal – EP (Amazon mp3/iTunes)

Track Listing:

1. Well Tequila
2. I Hope Heaven’s Like
3. Tecovas
4. White Dress Worthy
5. Hometown Bar
6. Vintage

Ever since 2019 and our ever-on-going blog series (which we’re still in the middle of, I promise you, even in the midst of our year plus long break!), I’ve been branching out and listening to music that I wouldn’t normally in the past. And I’ve found that ‘mainstream’ music, which was marketed to me as ‘bad’ and ‘evil’, actually isn’t. These people who are singing songs for the mainstream media, are just people, and ordinary people like you and me. Country music is the genre (apart from CCM), which I have been most hard-hit by in a good away, and I’ve found that I’ve resonated greatly with artists like Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Shania Twain, Lindsay Ell, Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Runaway June, Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Lady A, Tenille Townes, Tenille Arts, Maddie & Tae, Mickey Guyton, Walker Hayes, Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina, Gabby Barrett and even Taylor Swift. Even though I’m not American, it is these artists above (and many, many more!) who have helped place this genre in a special place in my heart. And as we’ve reviewed country albums over the years and seem God move in ways beyond imagination and comprehension with these artists, and as we’ve seen God be praised and given the glory in the marketplace; here we are in 2023 with another ‘new-ish’ artist and her heartfelt, honest, inspiring, vulnerable, and poignant music. Karissa Ella is an artist that has flown by underneath the radar. Simply because she’s an independent artist and not on a major label. Sure, fans of Karissa would know her discography inside and out. But the casual fan of myself would have no idea. But this year, one of her songs from her latest EP It’s Personal found its way onto a Spotify playlist I was listening to one day (“White Dress Worthy”). From then on, I eagerly dived deep into Haley’s material, and found that as a country singer, her lyrics are incredibly deep and her passion and zeal for life so admirable. Karissa’s songs aren’t as polished as veterans in the industry like Carrie or Miranda or Kelsea or Lainey or Carly. But the honesty and vulnerability is still here, as we as listeners are met with one of the most vulnerable EP’s of the year thus far.

Let’s talk about the melody “White Dress Worthy” then, which piqued my interest first up. The melody is simple advice to young women to marry a guy who is worthy of the girl walking down the aisle and wearing a white dress for. It’s as simple and uncomplicated as that, but the emotion in the song and the honesty and vulnerability is present in spades. I don’t know much about Karissa. But with this song, where she is imparting wisdom and advice to people of her generation, or maybe a generation below her; we are presented with a track that speaks to guys as well as girls. And the message is to not to settle for second best. Find a relationship that you know that you can be proud of, and that you know is the one. You may not believe in marriage, and you may not want to walk down the aisle for various reasons. And that’s ok. but it’s best to be alone than to be in a relationship that you regret; and that’s the message that I reckon Karissa is driving home here.

The rest of the EP is just as powerful, impacting, relatable and relevant as many other songs from this year. “Well Tequila” is a fun, traditional country melody about having fun at the bar and having a night out with friends while drinking tequila (similar in theme to Kelsea Ballerini’s “hole in the bottle”; while “I Hope Heaven’s Like” speaks about longing for heaven to be where you are reunited with all of your loved ones, and similar in feel and vibe to your hometown that you grew up in. “Tevocas”, the lone song on the EP that Karissa wrote by herself, is a piano ballad where Karissa emotionally and honestly praises her long-time boyfriend and champions everything he does in his ‘tecovas’; while probably the most relevant and relatable melody on the EP, “Hometown Bar”, is a ballad that speaks about Karissa leaving her hometown to be a singer/songwriter and country music star in the big city, and then reflecting about how her small hometown has changed or stayed the same in the years since she had that big break and came back to visit. With Karissa lamenting about how some parts of the town have stayed the same, like the bar and the people sitting in the same seats ordering the same thing; we are encouraged to move forward in life and not stay stagnant in whatever we do. It’s Personal then ends with “Vintage”, a melody that is a tribute and a homage to her past and her parents, as Karissa reflects upon the moments in her life that has made her who she is today.

I like to look at every project as a milestone and I’m really proud of the growth, maturity and vulnerability I’ve discovered over the past few years that led to and shaped this one. There were a lot of songs to choose from but I wanted each one on this EP to be a genuine and personal reflection of where I’m at in my life right now. My heart is happy these days and I think that’s apparent throughout Its Personal. As far as milestones go, this is a big one and it’s only the start of the reflective and expressive singing, songwriting and storytelling that is to come!

By all accounts, Karissa Ella’s music shouldn’t resonate with me that much- considering that her intended audience is probably young females who live in America. But Karissa’s music indeed does, just like how Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Erin Kinsey and other up and coming female country artists have! Who would’ve thought? But anyway, Karissa’s vocals are crazily awesome, and you all need to listen to this EP so that you can get into the mind of a future country superstar and someone whom we all will be speaking about with praise for the many years to come. With this EP being as personal as they come, we are reminded that sometimes wearing your heart on your sleeve has its benefits and that letting the world know virtually every side of you can indeed be a blessing as it reminds us that whatever sad or melancholy feeling we are experiencing, isn’t unique to us, that even a big superstar can be vulnerable, and we can know that they feel all of the feelings- just like us. And thus, from this EP, Karissa has a brilliant career ahead of her, and I can’t wait to hear what is next. Well done, Karissa, you deserve all the praise and then some more!

3 songs to listen to: I Hope Heaven’s Like, Hometown Bar, Vintage

Score: 4.5/5

RIYL: Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Nate Smith, Bailey Zimmerman, Megan Moroney, Hailey Whitters, Tyler Hubbard, Martina McBride