I’ve never heard one bad word spoken about Rosey. In fact all of the things I’ve read or heard have been glowing reviews and raves. I figure its due to one of two things: either she’s got the best publicity team ever or she’s really damn talented. Lucky for Rosey what she has working in her favor is that she really doesn’t sound like anyone else out there. People have compared to Fiona Apple, Macy Gray, Chaka Khan, Portishead, Nikka Costa and really the list just goes on and on. While most of those comparisons are indeed a bit generous, the majority of heaping criticism Rosey gets is deserved.
- Track Listing -
01. Love
02. Afterlife
03. One
04. The Time
05. Beautiful
06. Desperate
07. Like A Dream
08. Cozy
09. Dirty Child
10. Heaven
11. My Baby
Of the album’s 11 tracks, Rosey wrote 9 of them alone and claims co-writing credit on the other 2 so as far as talent goes she’s off to a decent start. ”Dirty Child” is such a jumbled mass of influences and sounds that it would be impossible for me to box Rosey in or pin her down to describe to you exactly what her music is like. On ”Love” a song about asking love to come back and try you again because you’ve changed – features guitars, synthesizers and DJ cuts and scratches all over soft and glowing music. Flipping to ”Afterlife” and Rosey reminds me of Lady Miss Kerr from dance group Deee-Lite.
The album changes paces so quickly that you have to keep up. ”The Time” is musically delightful and what appeals to me more than the vocals. Sonically, there is a lot happening – but it is interesting and enjoyable. “Dirty Child” is produced mostly by Darryl Swan who is most notable for his work with another singer with a “strange” voice: Macy Gray. Also, many of the musicians that appear on the album have played for the likes of Beck, Everlast, and Ben Harper – not too shabby for a beginner.
Dirty Child is really a curious blending of sounds. On “Desperate” the mood and sound creeps around the trip-hop music bed but infused with a bit funk á la Nikka Costa. Even though my review may be focusing on the sound of this album if you’re more into lyrics they’re there too: ”I’m terrified of love, but I’m more scared of being left alone./ and I know/ no one will ever love me that way again/ I swear I’ll never be that damn desperate/ not again.” While the example I’ve given you isn’t “deep” or “introspective” for all intents and purposes it lets you into the mind of Rosey who appears to have crafted this album will getting over, wanting and finding love.
The album’s title track is a strange song that I don’t know what to make of myself so describing it to you is an insurmountable task. Suffice to say that it’s interesting with its orchestra and a bit of Indian influence. ”My Baby” is a jazz-influenced track that Rosey really shines on. Here is where seeing her range and depth really culminates. A woman who cites some of her influences as Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder has pretty much bought her album full circle.
- Final Thoughts -
While Rosey isn’t groundbreaking music – it’s a pleasure to hear an artist blend the sounds that they like so well and into something so cohesive that you can actually listen to and enjoy it. A few times Rosey hurts herself simply by trying to hard. While she definitely has an interesting voice, it falls a bit short on tracks like “Cozy” and “Heaven”.
Rosey isn’t a powerhouse singer so she won’t ever really astound you with her ability but she does have a unique sound that belongs to her and her only. I would recommend “Dirty Child” to someone who liked Macy Gray or Nikka Costa but it might be a bit loud and not “deep enough” for Fiona fans. Really – finding a target audience is difficult but if you’re looking for something a bit different, Rosey might just be what the doctor ordered.
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