KAREN WALDRUP

                                                              "What If I Told You" 

                                                              Waldrup Worldwide Records

Karen Waldrup is one of those rare cases in country music in that she’s an independent artist who’s not only built an exuberant fanbase of diehard fans that have sustained her career for over a decade, but she’s also found several blasts of mainstream success since first breaking through on CMT with the music video for “I Got That Kind of Time” in 2016.

On the back of the announcement of her upcoming EP, Kendall County Road, she’s used the second half of 2022 to begin laying out teasers for what’s still to come via strong song releases, “Just Aint’ Love” and the incredibly heart-wrenching “All-American Mistake.”

Waldrup now continues to tease her forthcoming EP with “What If I Told You.”

The slower paced tempo of the song is driven by a scaled back simplicity in its instrumentation so that it merely acts as accompaniment that allows Waldrup to wrap all the necessary emotions into the lyrics as her voice wavers at times, she belts out the big notes to make an impact, and then subtly sits in a whisper when needed to really enhance the lyrical masterpiece that much more! 

In a word – transparent! With each song we’ve heard from Waldrup this year, we get more and more honest transparency from her - “What If I Told You” absolutely follows that trend as she tackles the very tough subject of being honest with yourself in the middle of a toxic relationship as she also subtly looks at the mental health crisis that’s at the forefront of the hurting that so many are experiencing today.  

She vulnerably asks the toughest questions out loud in the verses, and throughout the chorus:

“What if I said I wasn't shattered to pieces?”

“What if I made you believe that everything just disappeared?”

“What if I said I was good?”

“What if I stood here and said there is nothing to worry about?”

“What if I said I was fine?”                                                  

Before then revealing with the hook of the song, that her truth is just the opposite when she asks, “What if told you the truth?” which during the final chorus masterfully leads to her unraveling that she’s really shattered to pieces as she wonders if the truth could’ve changed the way she’s been treated.

What Waldrup cleverly does in this song is that she never fully says if she hides her truths because of shame, embarrassment, or just simply because she doesn’t know the response they’ll garner, which amazingly makes the bold statement she’s making so broad that it will connect heart to heart with anyone suffering from this type of anxiety.

Though “What I Told You” is certainly going to continue to fuel the buzz surrounding her new EP, this song is clearly one that’s rooted in making its impact by embracing the person who needs a hug through the speakers that lets them know everything will be okay and that they’re not alone.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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