Rosie Thomas - If SongsCould Be Held

Wed 12th Oct, 2005 in Music Reviews

Rosie Thomas’s star has been rising since the early part of the decade. She first appeared playing and singing with Damien Jurado and following her contribution to a Bruce Springsteen tribute album, she was signed to Sub Pop. In 2001, she released her debut, When We Were Small, and followed this up with the fantastic Only With Laughter Can You Win in 2003. Two years later, she returns with If Songs Could Be Held, an album that is peerless in the Rosie Thomas catalogue, even by her own high standards.

Thomas’s music benefits from a smooth, mellow country feel, more indicative of the classic ‘70s west coast influences (she grew up in Seattle) than anything recorded in Nashville. It is earnest and honest, without sounding pretentious or conceited. Taking this as her base she adds more subtle influences distinguishable in the Hammond organ and Wurlitzer keyboard melodies. These influences are reminders of other styles that are obviously influential: soul, r’n’b and gospel. These sounds soften the tone of the album, while filling out the songs with perfect accompaniment (with the exception of some occasional gratuitous bass playing).

The album begins with Since You’ve Been Around. Full of confessions and guitar, piano and muted horns the song is a somber opening, and while not the best track on the album it’s an effective tune. Pretty Dress follows, and with increased production values, a Tori Amos-like verse and a piano driven, sing-a-long chorus it will surely be released as a single at some stage. Which is a pity, not because it’s a bad song (in fact, it’s quite good) but because it is largely out of context in relation to the rest of the album.

Loose Ends introduces a Motown vibe with a Wurlitzer keyboard driving the song. Loose Ends has a fantastic vibe and lets Thomas’s amazing vocals stand out. In a way it serves as a prelude to the next song, It Don’t Matter to the Sun, which is a simple, soulful song, sung perfectly by Thomas. It’s full of emotion and warmth without becoming overdone and unbelievable.

Guess It May, the third slow, piano-driven song in a row, is perhaps one too many in terms of the album’s flow but is nonetheless another fine example of her song-writing ability and amazing voice. Let It Be Me finds Thomas in duet with Ed Harcourt on a song that is probably as close to the Nashville sound as any of the tracks on this release.

Thomas sounds like she is channeling James Taylor on Say What You Want. This song is interesting, in that it is the melody and piano that dominate the song rather than the vocals. It is also the point at which the album peaks. Time Goes Away and Death Came and Got Me both fail to really communicate Thomas’ thoughts and feelings in the way that other tracks did and Tomorrow closes the album with Thomas giving us her best Joni Mitchell impersonation.

While If Songs Could Be Held sounds pretty mild during the first listen, after a while it becomes clear that it is an album that covers a lot of ground. The sparse and careful use of instruments is a real attraction and opens up the songs and lets the listener into Rosie Thomas’s world. This album may well be underrated in Australia where she is less well known, but it is clear that it deserves a lot more.