May Erlewine delivers a rocker
The Michigan singer-songwriter's latest album What it Takes is her most overtly rock and roll-indebted batch of songs.
Throughout her prolific career, Michigan singer-songwriter May Erlewine has never been afraid to change up her sound by bending to the talent she surrounds herself with.
From cozy indie pop to more soulful efforts, Erlewine has long proven versatile in approaching each project across a dozen albums with flexibility and curiosity in exploring new sounds and genres of music. Lyrically, her songs are rooted in hard-wrought wisdom, joy and sorrow, simplicity and stories from her own experiences.
With that in mind, it still might be a bit surprising to hear Erlewine’s next evolution in channeling a live, free wheeling sound on her latest album What it Takes, a high fidelity rock and roll album released via 10 Good Songs. The tight quarters of producer and drummer Theo Katzman’s Cinnamon Ranch home recording studio in Northern Michigan have helped spark a noticeable uptick in raw emotion and energy in Erlewine’s vulnerable reflections.
In turn, Erlewine’s backing band of Katzman, guitarist Packy Lundholm, Phil Cook on piano and keys and Joel Gottschalk on bass have helped her surrender to the creative process, allowing her to make the album she always wanted to make. Katzman, who previously produced Erlewine’s more insular 2023 album The Real Thing, plays a big role in helping bring forward the warm, rich, rock and roll sound that feels loose but carefully considered.
“I just threw myself at the feet of the creative process and said, ‘Have all of me; do what you will,’” Erlewine said of What it Takes. “We dug deeper, we were braver and we generated more sound. As a result we made a rock record.”
While this might not feel like a big deal when you consider Erlewine’s history of crossing genres, it does make for one of her most immediately engaging albums to date. Nowhere is that more evident than on cathartic mid-album jam Animal, backed by a chugging indie rock guitar riff that slyly burns and builds tension. The song eventually releases and unravels with Erlewine’s voice giving out as its energy reaches the momentum of a freight train.
Other midtempo rockers like My Speed give off unhurried vibes a la Waxahatchee’s Saint Cloud or Tigers Blood, subtly boosted by the song’s keys and harmonica solo. Even when Erlewine restrains herself, there’s a clear intention to dig deep and evoke emotion through the creation of space. The guitar riff on the pensive Runnin’ sneaks into your head as Erlewine describes relationship disillusion with clear-eyed lines like I think we’ll call it what it is/Complicated and jaded and kind of outdated.
Moving on is a big part of what drives What it Takes, a therapeutic record where Erlewine and company find resolution in the catharsis of the music in examining a relationship. On album standout All That, confessional lines like, Is this what you came here to do / to see how far I would fall for you? demonstrate a desire to move past what no longer serves her well. Other more overt rockers like Creature and Everything benefit from Katzman’s funky influence.
Overall, What it Takes feels like a reward for longtime fans of Erlewine who might have been waiting for her to let loose and deliver “her rock album,” but without relying too heavily on overused tropes that have the potential to weigh it down. It’s an album made with a careful ear and reverence toward distilling emotion on tape.
Erlewine is hitting the road in support of the album, with several dates scheduled in Michigan:
April 2 and 3: Midtown, Grand Rapids
April 4 and 5: Bell’s Eccentric Cafe, Kalamazoo
April 6: The Ark, Ann Arbor
April 8 and 9: The Alluvion, Traverse City