On her debut disc, The Ghost Who Walks, Karen Elson spins intriguingly unsettling tales of lost love, dashed hope, romantic betrayal and various crimes of passion witnessed only by the full moon. In a coolly inviting voice, strumming an acoustic guitar, she summons up a dark yet seductive atmosphere, an after-midnight world that's irresistibly alluring.
The arrangements for her small band -- featuring the virtuosic Jackson Smith on guitar, Elson's longtime collaborator Rachelle Garniez on accordion and vocals, and husband-producer Jack White on drums -- evoke the lonesome side of country ('Cruel Summer') or the tormented side of the blues ('The Truth Is In the Dirt'), with eerie organ touches, keening electric guitars, and, on 'In Trouble With the Lord,' some mean rock swagger.