Previously a dabbler in all manners of rootsy American music -- she nevertheless wore her blues devotion as a badge of pride, at least on her sophomore set Shake the Spirit -- Elle King decided to put all of her chips on country music after her 2021 Miranda Lambert duet "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" became her biggest hit since "Ex's & Oh's." Once that became a number one Country airplay hit, King ditched a pop album she completed with producer Greg Kurstin in favor of cutting the album that became Come Get Your Wife, combining her originals with some Nashville readymades. Listen closely to Come Get Your Wife, and it's possible to discern songs where King is pushing the country angle a bit too hard -- witness "Try Jesus," an overstuffed secular gospel number where King shrugs and decides to give herself to God, much like she embraced country -- yet there are fewer of these moments than might be expected. Working primarily with Ross Copperman, a producer/songwriter who has collaborated with Dierks Bentley (who also appears here on "Worth a Shot"), King embraces an insistent brand of country driven by arena rock rhythms and adult contemporary hooks. It's a blend that suits her, placing her sharp nasal twang in flattering relief and harnessing her full-throated delivery so it powers the song, not overwhelms it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine