Album – These Friends of Mine – Rosie Thomas

Posted by admin on March 18th, 2008

  • Band / Artist : Rosie ThomasmySpace
  • Genre : Folk / Alternative
  • Sample Track Download : N/A
  • Buy CD : CD Baby
  • Buy Digital Download : iTunes
  • Rating : 9 out of 10

As more and more recommendations come winging their way to me, I’m at first astounded at the amazing talent that I’ve never heard of and I’m also pleasantly surprised at the quality of recommendations. With Rosie Thomas, I shouldn’t really be surprised as she’s on one of my favourite record labels, Nettwerk.

This is one of those classic scenarios, where I put an album on, after getting home from work, with kids bouncing off the walls and my wife, frazzled after a day of chasing ankle biters, and I realised that this laid back release, may be better suited to being alone and relaxed. That’s easier said than done, but I finally found some downtime, to really listen and found a wonderful, if short album to cosset my weary soul.

The CD opens with “If This City Never Sleeps”, a track that immediately greets you with some wonderful guitar, soon joined by just the most wonderful vocals. I’d liken Rosie’s voice, to another favourite Nettwerk artist of mine, The Weepies, Deb Talen. A wonderful track this surely is, but lasting just 2 minutes, 1 track in and I’m already hungry for more. “Why Waste More Time?” has a very live, acoustic sound to it, and then I remember that this whole album was pretty much recorded at a home and apartment in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, using a couple of open mics and it’s this live sound that makes the album feels very personal and intimate.

“The One I Love” may sound like a familiar title, not surprising then, as it’s a cover of an R.E.M track from their 1987 release, Document. This is a much more relaxed version than R.E.M’s and it’s not one I would have thought would benefit from this treatment, but it holds up very well.

A particular favourite track of mine is “Much Further to Go”, which really showcases Rosie’s voice, as well as featuring some wonderful accompaniment. It also has a slight production feel to it, but really gels together, to form an absolutely beautiful track. “All The Way to New York City”, is also one of my favourites and it’s this track that reminds me of some songs from the soundtrack of my life. The names are all but forgotten, but the song washes over me like wave of memories.

The final track on the album, is the title track “These Friends of Mine”, which is a curious song, when compared to the rest of the album, or rather it is for the first 40 or so seconds and then it settles down to provide a fitting end to a wonderful album. On an album of 10 tracks, 32 minutes is a little on the short side, but this is a classic example of quality over quantity.

Conclusion : A wonderful album from an artist who’s on her 4th album and yet, I’m only just discovering her. One of my favorite finds so far this year.

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