March 23, 2010 7:51

Jack White's wife Karen Elson showcases her debut album in New York

Despite rumours the White Stripe failed to make an appearance

Photo Gallery: The White Stripes
Photo: Pa Photos

Jack White's wife Karen Elson made her solo New York debut last night (March 22), with an intimate all-seater show at Manhattan's Le Poisson Rouge.

Backed by a five-piece band, Elson played acoustic guitar for the majority of the hour-long set, which was made up of soulful country ballads taken from her forthcoming debut album 'The Ghost Who Walks' (due out on XL/Third Man records on May 25).

Despite rumours, Jack White failed to make an appearance during the show, even though The White Stripes man produced and played drums on the album.

Elson seemed nervous with her in-between song chatter, but the Oldham-born model still took the opportunity to explain the inspiration for some of the songs. Revealing that 'The Truth Is In The Dirt' was inspired by her reading a quote from Eartha Kitt in an obituary, she also recalled how the idea for 'Cruel Summer' came from Nashville's frequently violent summer thunderstorms.

Closing the set with her debut single 'The Ghost Who Walks', Elson also performed her reinterpretation of the song 'Milk And Honey', which was originally by folk singer Jackson C Frank, but covered most famously by Sandy Denny and Nick Drake.

Karen Elson played:

'Pretty Babies'
'The Truth Is In The Dirt'
'Stolen Roses'
'Cruel Summer'
'Lunasa'
'100 Years From Now'
'Garden'
'A Thief At My Door'
'The Birds They Circle'
'Last Laugh'
'Mouths To Feed'
'Milk and Honey'
'The Ghost Who Walks'

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