I had a
busy work week and now I have a busy weekend. I like my work, but who are we
kidding? A busy weekend is better.
Disc 1181 is… Loner
Artist: Caroline
Rose
Year of Release: 2018
What’s up with the Cover? Just another fine upstanding
citizen out for a jog.
How I Came To Know It: I really liked Caroline Rose’s
2014 album “I Will Not Be Afraid” so when she released a new album earlier this
year I took a chance on it.
How It Stacks Up: I have only the Caroline Rose albums (she has
a third record that I also really want – 2012’s “American Religious” but I
can’t find it on CD). Anyway I like both of the ones I have but I’m putting
“Loner” in at second.
Ratings: 4 stars
Caroline Rose is not afraid to change things up from
album to album and on “Loner” she does just that, morphing from an indie
country artist into alternative pop with her usual mix of strength, charm and
humour.
If you come in with preconceived notions on how Rose
“should” sound this will be jarring, but if you keep an open mind you’ll find
yourself liking this new stuff just as much as the old; at least I did.
Thematically, Rose is keenly aware that she’s made a
shift in her sound, and I expect her decision to lead the album off with a song
titled “More of the Same” is no
accident. It is also one of the album’s best songs, and a nice introduction to
the Rose’s new musical direction. Gone are jangly guitars, and the album opens
with ambient synth sound and a pulsating piano riff. On the second verse Rose
sings:
“I go to a friend
of a friend’s party
Everyone’s
well-dressed with a perfect body
And they all have
alternative haircuts and straight white teeth
All I see is just
more of the same thing.”
Not content with societal notions of perfection, Rose
is looking for something different. The notion that we all aspire to the exact
same notions of beauty and success is boring and draining, both in terms of its
ubiquity and its unattainability. It is a theme that tracks through the whole
record.
In this way, Caroline Rose reminds me favourably of
Dessa. Both are great talents that would likely be more commercially successful
if they didn’t make a habit of making sharp, insightful social commentary in
the middle of their catchy pop songs. It is a habit I hope they never break.
Rose’s vocals are sneaky good. She isn’t a
powerhouse diva, but doing that to these songs would be to overcook them. Instead
she has a natural talent for sitting in the pocket (sometimes on songs that are
pretty rapid fire fast, sometimes on slow mournful numbers). There is a
pop-star curl to her delivery but there is enough fury and emotion behind it
that it doesn’t feel fake or affected.
It helps that some of these songs get into serious
topics. “Jeannie Becomes a Mom” is a
song about a woman down on her luck, going through pregnancy on her own. Rose’s
message here: it might feel like your life is on hold, but the world don’t stop
and this is real life, so don’t wait around to start living it.
The playful side of her earlier records remains
alive and well despite the shift to a more electronic sound. “Money” and “Soul No. 5” are both catchy, clever half-rap anthems where Rose
shows off her talent for phrasing and her brilliance at both lyric writing and
song structure (Rose writes and arranges all the songs).
“Money” acknowledges
that no one ever says they do something for money, but obviously we all do it
at some level. That’s OK, but let’s start being honest with each other. “Soul No. 5” is more of a Lilly
Allen-style party song, but with all that early heavy messaging, Rose has
earned a night out in her kicks, flipping her hair and strutting her stuff. We
strut along with her, knowing it is OK as long as we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
“Bikini”
brings it all together. It features a funky synthesizer riff, catchy drums, and
Rose singing about little red bikinis and high fashion. Of course, this being
Rose it isn’t a song full of fun and nights drinking Cristal. It is an
indictment of the demands for a woman to be sexualized in order to achieve success.
(The album’s cover is an early indication of Rose’s response: fuck that).
Synth-laden pop music is not my usual jam, but “Loner”
is so good at being equal parts catchy, clever and relevant I didn’t mind. In
fact, I enjoyed every minute of it.
Best
tracks: More of
the Same, Cry!, Jeannie Becomes a Mom, Soul No. 5, Bikini
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