KARISSA ELLA - Last Call Cowboy - 117 Music

Coming off last months very well received “Heartbreaker,” hot rising country starlet Karissa Ella continues opening her buzzworthy next chapter today with the release of her latest single, “Last Call Cowboy.”

Written by Karissa, Cassidy Best, and Carver Louis, by wrapping her strong classic country influences into a fresh, modern soundscape that intoxicatingly floats the melody, Ella diligently satisfies proper amounts of her natural twang into honky-tonk imagery as she weaves a last call story that’s draped in loneliness, heartbreak, and momentary comfort in the arms of a 2AM charmer.

“"Last Call Cowboy" is a song about that charming, elusive figure we’ve all encountered at some point—the one who sweeps in with just the right words, just the right touch, but disappears when the neon fades. It’s a story of heartbreak wrapped in honky-tonk lights, a reminder that some cowboys are only in it for the moment, never the ride. This song is for anyone who’s ever danced with a cowboy who wasn’t meant to stay,” says Ella on the song.

Cleverly painting descriptives of the “last call cowboy” throughout the opening verse, she brushes him with the familiar catalyst as being the type who slides up next to you at the bar quicker than a “wild Texas wind,” sweeping you off your feet and roping your heart just before the house lights come on.

Hints of anxious exhilaration embed the neon lit heart fluttering prospect, pondering whether it’s going to last more than just this one night while side saddling a deeply seated heartache in the knowing truth that he’ll ride away at sunrise.

Surrounded in a refreshing swirl of traditionally bent cries of steel guitar leaned against the conviction of her vocal ebbs and flows as she strikes to the chorus, Karissa glides her half smile along the emotional strain of her own bittersweet memories with him while providing heartfelt caution to the next girl.

“He’s a last call cowboy

Does everything just right

When the neon turns off

He’ll love you for a night

Not in it for the long haul,

Never kicks his boots off

Like a palomino you can’t close the gate on

A last call cowboy”

Using the second half to deep dive into his heartbreak, how the one that got away fractured his heart into the lonely outlaw he’s become, we get a linear understanding of why he’s guarding himself from anything more than a “no strings” fix that adds a layer of intrigue to his story.  

With the promise of a fourth EP this summer, the anticipation on Karissa Ella rides high on the back of “Heartbreaker” and “Last Call Cowboy” as she moves her sound with a confident maturity that matches her growth as an artist and songwriter with the natural movement of her life, satisfying her 20-something peers while connecting heart to heart with the growing pains of life and love.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)