Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
Taylor Swift fans may have become accustomed to having a fresh album drop every year, but given the time and resources it takes to record, most artists don’t have the ability to continuously crank out new, full-length releases, even if they have the material to fill them.
So when indie R&B group Sir Woman – one of my favorite bands as of late – released two albums back-to-back in the spring, I was surprised and delighted. The 23 tracks that compose both releases — cleverly named “If It All Works Out” and “If It Doesn’t” — have since been on my Spotify rotation nonstop.
Sir Woman is a project from Austin-based musician Kelsey Wilson, who is also known as one half of the band Wild Child. The two groups differ sonically, with Sir Woman channeling more of the gospel, soul and R&B influences that Wilson grew up loving. Though she had planned to devote more time and attention to Sir Woman in recent years, Wilson said the two dual-album releases came about unexpectedly.
“I had one album and it was completely finished and was supposed to come out,” Wilson said in a recent interview with The Denver Post. “Then, within the same year, I had a sister pass and my dad passed, and I just didn’t feel like the same person anymore. I still identified with the music, but I was like, ‘I got a lot more to figure out right now.’”
So Wilson, along with her band mates, started writing songs and processing her grief, and within a couple of weeks, another album “accidentally” materialized. At that point, Wilson realized the trove of tunes were intrinsically related and needed to exist as such in the band’s catalog – perhaps, to the chagrin of her advisers.
“People definitely had opinions about it because they say the attention span of the audience isn’t what it once was. Like they don’t even listen to one full album, they’ll just listen to the singles,” Wilson said. “So two full albums isn’t a very good idea. But I just didn’t care.”
All the better for fans, however, who had a chance to dig into “If It All Works Out” in February and, by May, had almost double the number of songs with “If It Doesn’t” to enjoy while dancing around their living rooms. (Just me?)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the albums are like two sides of the same coin. Both showcase Sir Woman’s catchy melodies, smooth harmonies and generally upbeat disposition, but each one is designed to complement the listener in various mindsets. Where the first album leans into ideas of love, positivity and romance with emotionally evocative songs like “Get Out of My Mind” and “Think Too Much,” its counterpart seeks to provide an uplifting soundtrack when facing life’s hardships. Despite writing “If It Doesn’t” during one of the darkest periods of her life, Wilson still calls the record “a celebration of life.” Songs like “Believe It Or Not” and “A New Story” are testaments to that.
My favorite tracks from each album are “Heaven” and “Miss Connection,” from the first and second albums, respectively. But don’t just hit the singles; I suggest you defy the music industry norms and listen to both records in their entirety, since they each offer a unique sonic journey. You might just find the time, place and mood to enjoy every song.