Former New Orleans resident Esther Rose is probably best known as Jack White’s duet partner on his last album Boarding House Reach. When she joined White onstage at Jazz Fest in 2018, her harmonies lent an Appalachian twang that he couldn’t have managed so well on his own. The time was certainly right for her to hit the big city and make an album with commercial crossover appeal.

How Many Times however is an album from the heart, not one from the biz. When she left New Orleans this past December 2020, she chose New Mexico rather than Nashville, and her new surroundings left a mark on the sound. It’s got that small-room, out-in-the-wilderness ambiance, with a lot of fiddle, upright bass and brushed drums. She’s an expressive singer who doesn’t overdo a thing. When the songs take an emotional turn, she only needs a slight twist in the melody or a catch in her voice to get the feelings across. Nothing gets too fast or loud here, electric guitar is used sparingly when it’s there at all, but she knows the value of a well-turned hook or a haunting chorus.

Lyrically this is very much a breakup album—though less about the breakup itself than the alone time afterwards. There’s a dramatic moment or two (“My Bad Mood” is about seeing your ex cutting loose at a dance) but she usually focuses on the smaller, more telling moments. “Are You Out There” and “Keeps Me Running” are both about being home alone; the first is about getting through New Year’s Eve, the second about the satisfaction of burning old love letters. The last and most upbeat track, “Without You,” is about playing a show and wondering if the ex will be in the crowd. He probably missed a really good gig if he stayed home.