Karissa Ella Soars Across New ‘It’s Personal’ EP

It's Personal is an appropriate title for Karissa Ella's new EP. The six-song collection shows off the singer and songwriter as a dynamic vocalist willing to go there.

A raw ballad called "White Dress Worthy" is one example. Much like "Tecovas," the song that precedes it (and arguably her signature track), Ella's storytelling patience aids the arrangement. Here she's giving advice to other women, telling them they're good enough to wait for a man who's "White Dress Worthy."

"Hometown Bar" is nostalgic and perhaps specific to Ella's circumstance (she co-wrote all six songs), but the characters she mourns are identifiable to anyone who grew up in a small town. "Nothing breaks my heart / Like my hometown bar," she sings to close each chorus. You know the song with that couplet alone.

• Ella grew up in Ohio, inspired by Shania Twain, Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert and more.
• She was recently chosen as PickleJar and Cumulus Media's first-ever spotlight artist.
• She says she chose each of the six songs on the EP to reflect where she is at in her life today.

"Vintage" closes the short collection, adding a bit of needed tempo to an otherwise singer-songwriter project. Here, Ella is looking forward to carrying her mother's traditions to the next tradition — it's equal parts reflective and progressive.

Casey Wood produced It's Personal, and the singer had help writing songs from Cassidy Best, Alex Seier, Chris Buck and her mother, Lori Haasz.