It’s the dawning of a new day for New Jersey native, Stacie Rose. As she prepares to release her next upcoming album, she reflects on many years of music making, recording, rocking in and around New Jersey and New York City, and the things that set this collection of songs apart from her past body of work. For a great while, Rose has set her sights on creating a string of songs with a more live, “in the moment” type of feel. This time she figured out the way to approach things in that manner. She has figured out her own original way to stay vital, floating in and out of new time signatures, trying some new things vocally, explored some new themes, but mostly just allowed the songs to unfold as organically as possible. She says that working with trusted friends and musicians have made the whole process of recording feel like a daydream.
I first discovered Rose back in 2009 with the release of Shotgun Daisy. That CD put her on the Shoreworld’s radar, and I’ve followed her growth ever since. Her next musical endeavor was Stars, Stripes, and Milestones, and it was a logical continuation of that initial notice and demonstrated a matured performer who has figured out the secret of placing her own unique content into the discordant world of genres. And while this latest record is still untitled at this stage, knowing Rose the way I do will make sure that I will find great highlights of what’s sure to be an excellent record.
Being a devoted mother of a young child and a dedicated songwriter, Rose must create a precise balance, stay focused, stay fluid, exercise patience, plan accordingly and allow things to happen naturally. Writing spells have always been a reality for Rose. It’s months of humming, strumming or musical abstinence followed by a flood of songs, spiritual purging, story-telling and self-exploration that occurs.
She tells me that there is such delight in these months of flow that a rebirth of sorts occurs each time around. She literally writes herself through each new phase in her life. This often includes the full spectrum of emotions. It’s truth-telling, wishing, teaching, holding on and letting go all at once. You listen to the songs, and you crack the codes to places in her soul. Having the confidence to listen to her heart and trust her intuition has served Rose well as she has navigated an ever-changing industry. She makes music on her own terms staying honest and faithful to her vision while allowing that idea to come more into focus as she goes.
Rose views the process writing, recording and doing shows like seasons and often sticks to one at a time so she can dig into that headspace. She lives for the collaboration, profoundly loves her friends and fans and hopes her songs might serve as a bridge to connect people through expression and understanding.
With several albums released, music licenses, and realization that this road goes on and on, Rose is in it for the long haul. She sent me a few of the songs on the upcoming, and as of now, untitled record, and I wanted to take a listen and share my thoughts on this vivacious songwriter who always has something good to say when it comes to creating introspective music in our ever-growing musical scene.
“Always Mean the World” is the first song of the few she sent me. Rose has a penchant for writing catchy, well-phrased music and this fits right into that descriptive like clockwork. Rose and crew start things off with quirky drum patterns, piano riffs and well thought out bass patterns. Electric guitars fan across the spectrum, delivering mass quantities of gnarly, gritty tremolo-laden riffs and fills. Rose’s vocals are smooth and crystal clear, ringing with bell-like overtones as she sings her pledge of never-ending loyalty to the one she loves. Acoustic guitars spread out and fill the gaps without overblown production effort. Rose excels at putting the proper parts together to form an addictive song, and that’s evident here. Verse sizzle and bridges carry the load to those “memorable for years” choruses. I love how the drums turn around and go from quirky off-time beats to a pocketed backbeat that supports this song perfectly. Lead guitars are succinct and emotional as they fly in and out, layering the song with a supersonic glazing of brilliance before fading back into the mix. This song is a strong contender for record hit!
Another song she sent me is called “Change.” Once again, Rose goes for the throat in her pursuit of hit excellence. Rose comes right out of the gate on vocals, laying the feel as the band comes in to flesh out the piece. Pianos glide across the back as drums, bass and guitars all rev up to take their positions throughout the song. Rhythm guitars are crunchy and substantial, holding down the fort with solid bass and rum works as Rose soars into her stratosphere of brilliance.
Percussive accompaniments sizzle along with rhythm section precision as Rose goes about the business of describing relationship shifts and sizing. Her vocal tone is unique and set up for days, putting Rose on a musical pedestal many never reach in their entire careers. Lyrically speaking, Rose is a pro when it comes to describing exactly what she wants to say within the confines of 3:07 worth of excellent music. Electric guitars pop and simmer in the verses, plucking out complex arrangements as Rose laments about love and the inevitable changes that need to come about. The choruses are robust and easily remembered, keeping Rose and her message high on the list of what people crave most in popular music.
“Sunlight Moonshine” takes our imagination next. Accompanied by acoustic guitar and pristine piano work, Rose unwinds her storyline for her listeners. Rose’s lyrical delivery is a clean example of a singer-songwriter on top of their game, and she truly shines here. The band kicks in and delivers punchy, laidback accompaniment. Bass and drums nail this pocketed gem straight to the floor as Rose harmonizes with herself to beat the group. The middle-eight guitar work is simple and to the point, laying down a bluesy effect-laden burst of country-rock brilliance as Rose soars over the top with effortless style and taste. This is yet another song that has much hit potential, and if the rest of this record is even half as close to these songs, then Rose has a stellar record to offer fans.
As time gets closer to the full release I’ll give you another taste of Roses style and skill. But for now, if you want to hear more of what Rose has done up till now, head over to her website to find out how to purchase her music. I guarantee it will be well worth your time and money. Her website is stacierosemusic.com and you can find her entire catalog, live dates and more once you go there.
If there is anyone you would like to see featured in The Shoreworld, please feel free to drop me an email at john@theaquarian.com. Until next week, see a show!
