Elaina Kay talks like she writes: defiant but vulnerable, hopeful but wry. Her new album wraps all those occasionally opposing forces in Elaina’s signature ranch rock-and-roll to create a modern portrait of steely femininity that’s sad, funny, and ultimately, inspiring. Produced by Paul Cauthen and engineered by Jeff Saenz, the album was recorded at Modern Electric in Dallas. Backed by Paul’s studio ringers the Texas Gentlemen, Elaina’s moody soprano slides from breathy storytelling to golden-era country songbirding and back again, nuanced and captivating. Drawing on her early life rodeoing and raising horses, as well as years since then, after the music completely took over, Elaina wrote or co-wrote every track. The result is a layered collection that is both starkly personal and intensely relatable. “In the last few years, I’ve grown so much,” says Elaina. “I’m not that small town ranch girl anymore.” She pauses, then adds with a smirk, “I run with the boys.”

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