Lindsay Ell, heart theory Album Review

Lindsay Ell‘s sophomore album, heart theory is here, and fans of the Canadian singer-songwriter-guitar slinger should be ready to hit play and groove.

Across 12 songs and 40 minutes, Lindsay Ell (CCMA, ACM, CMT award nominee) takes listeners on a personal and emotional journey – that will make you want to smile and dance.

There’s no two ways about it, heart theory has some very heavy ideas and stories and feelings involved. From the truly vulnerable make you to the anger in get oveR you, there’s no mistaking it. But, that doesn’t mean that this project was a drag. Lindsay told us that making music is one of her favourite things in the world, and the weight of heart theory didn’t take away from that. She also said that she looks at these songs as ‘Sangers’ (sad bangers: “They’re sad songs with heavier messages”) that come with some big lyrics, but will also make you want to dance in your chair or car or kitchen or wherever you are listening.

“Making music is what I enjoy doing more than mostly anything in this world and so I’ve had so much fun putting this together… From the first track to the last track I really feel like this record makes people want to dance in your kitchen or your car or wherever you are listening to it and I hope that people can hear the enjoyment that I had recording this record and how much fun I had and they can have that much fun listening to it too. “- Lindsay Ell

Lindsay Ell – make you

While we were on our Zoom call with Lindsay to talk about the album, we asked about trying new things on this project, aside from diving so much deeper into her personal life for the songs. She told us that working with producer Dann Huff was something that she’d been dreaming of since she started adding him to her vision boards when she moved to Nashville ten years ago. She credits him with making her a better singer and guitar player and writer and artist, and the way she talked about him and included mentions of his work with Madonna and Michael Jackson made it easy to tell that Huff is someone that she truly values as part of this album.

We also asked (because she’s a person and not just an artist) about her feelings about having these songs not only written but now recorded and shared to the world. The cliché about songwriting being vulnerable has been turned up to 11 with the exploration of feelings like anger, shock, acceptance, etc. on heart theory, so we wanted to know how she was feeling now. Lindsay told us that she’s good. That she feels like she had to process all of these feelings and real-life struggles to get to where she is now. And while we didn’t ask specifically about the abuse in her past, her public-eye breakup, health or anything else, we imagine that all of it is included.

She smiled as she said it, and we believed her. And we’re glad for that.

Another thing that stands out about heart theory is that it sticks to an often-abandoned philosophy of album curation and concept. As we talked about the album, Lindsay spoke about the evolution from track #1 to track #12 and going through the seven stages of grief in order. Through shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing, and acceptance, it’s all there. Anyone who has experienced any kind of personal trauma, loss, heartbreak has been there, and these songs follow that journey. One step at a time.

“I was about halfway through writing this record when I realized I was writing these songs in the order of how I was experiencing them… And I was like how cool would it be to write a record around the process of the seven stages of grief. Because I feel like it’s what I was living and going through. And I’m like what if my record started at track #1 with stage one of shock and then it went in order of shock, denial, anger, all the way to the bottom, the last stage, stage seven of acceptance with track #12 and then fans could hear me slowly unravel through the whole record. And so that’s what I decided to do.” – Lindsay Ell

We live in a world of digital singles and short EPs these days, so to have a full album that embraces a single overarching concept and tells a bigger story as you listen is a nice bonus. Yes, we love hitting play on our favourite songs and listening to them in playlists or on repeat when we just need them, but having a complete and comprehensive package of music is A+.

Throughout the tracklist you’ll get tastes of blues and Motown and rock and pop to go along with the country roots of Lindsay Ell’s songwriting and singing. She’s never been shy about her admiration for other genres or about showing their inspiration in her music. And she isn’t here.

Those little tastes add layers to the songs, they are the groove that makes you want to move in your chair. And while there are those who may bitch about genre-bending or audible influence – it ain’t us – we’re here for it!

Lindsay Ell – ReadY to love

We’ve written before about Lindsay Ell as a singer and performer and songwriter. Fans who have followed her journey over the last few years know that she is talented and driven and puts in the work. As a performer, she’s as prolific as anyone in Nashville, telling us that usually she would be on the road for 280 days a year. In 2020, not so much. So while she’s had time to finish her album and do more press to tell her story during this cycle, she hasn’t been waking up in a new city every day this week to play her new songs live for fans, and that’s weird for her.

Her hope (and ours too) is that distance truly does make the heart grow fonder and that all of us will embrace live music again with enthusiasm when it is safe to do so. And when Lindsay Ell has a chance to play the songs from heart theory, from Hits me to wAnt me back to ReadY to love, folks in the crowd are going to be all-in. We’d bet on it.

For now, we’ll be here listening to the new additions to the Lindsay Ell library of music, listening to the guitar and signing, feeling the lyrics, and fully appreciating her 2020 Canadian Country Music Association nominations Female Artist of the Year and Interactive Artist of the Year (which she won in 2019).

Lindsay Ell is a star. Her name continues to gain recognition, her reputation is growing, she’s involved in the community through her Make You Movement foundation, and as a person, she is kind, sweet, and we always look forward to our time with her.

If you only knew her as a badass guitar player and singer before, please know that all the rest of that is true too and click that link to learn more about the Make You Movement.

Last thing, because we had to share it. If you have seen some of the song titles from the album and wondered about the capitalization decisions, we’ve got the cracked code for you here…

Hits me | how good | i don’t lovE you | wAnt me back | get oveR you | wrong girl | body language of a breakup | good on you | The oTHEr side | gO to | make you | ReadY to love

H E A R T  T H E O R Y

Check out the full tracklist for Lindsay Ell’s heart theory now, and hit play on the stream to listen. Be ready to move. Be ready for big emotions. Be ready to want to hit play again when it’s over.

Lindsay Ell, heart theory Tracklist

1. Hits me
2. how good
3. i don’t lovE you
4. wAnt me back
5. get oveR you
6. wrong girl
7. body language of a breakup
8. good on you
9. The oTHEr side
10. gO to
11. make you
12. ReadY to love

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Joshua Murray

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Trish Cassling

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