Chappell Roan is back with a new single, “The Giver,” marking her first release since “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” propelled her to stardom.
Dropped on March 13, the pop-country track had been teased for months, with Roan even performing it in full on Saturday Night Live last November. While her first album was packed with classic pop anthems, “The Giver” returns to her Midwestern roots, drawing inspiration from country legends like Dolly Parton and Shania Twain.
Blending pop with a southern twang, the track is a seamless mesh of both genres. Roan’s signature vocal flips, soaring belts and cheeky innuendos remain front and center, proving that she can flirt with a country sound without losing her distinct artistry.
“Girl, I don’t need no lifted truck / Revvin’ loud to pick you up / ‘Cause how I look is how I touch,” she sings in the second verse.
I think this single is iconic, as she successfully laces queerness into a genre that still rarely sees it. While LGBTQ+ themes in country music aren’t new, Roan makes her presence known — loud, proud and undeniably catchy as she sings in the chorus, “’Cause you ain’t gotta tell me / It’s just in my nature / So take it like a taker / ‘Cause, baby, I’m a giver.”
However, the song isn’t without its flaws. The lack of a bridge is disappointing, especially compared to the lyrical wonders of “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Red Wine Supernova.”
Instead, we get a string of “na-na’s” and an out-of-place spoken interjection from men saying, “She gets the job done.” The moment feels jarring and personally pulls me out of an otherwise infectious track.
Is “The Giver” Roan’s best work? Not really. But it’s still a bold, catchy tune that I have added to my playlists.
4/5 stars
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @chappellroanfandemonium, Instagram
