Caitlin Rose - Own Side Now (sampler)

Nashville’s Caitlin Rose first appeared on the radar of music critics this year with the release of her widely praised debut full-length Own Side Now. Rarely does an artist display this level of uninhibited honestly and vulnerability in their writing; the fact that this wisdom is found at the start of Rose’s career promises that she’s not going away anytime soon. Drawing inspiration from female greats like Linda Ronstadt, Patsy Cline and Stevie Nicks, Own Side Now is an exquisite collection, showcasing a maturity in songwriting that few possess at such a young age.



Although steeped in the country tradition, Caitlin’s music is not constrained by that heritage. Her confessional style and wry observations place her very much in the 21st Century, but the heart-wrenching honesty, lyrical prowess and dexterous lyrical delivery found in her music sets Rose apart from her peers.

Co-produced by Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Will Oldham & Andrew Bird), Skylar Wilson (Justin Townes Earle) and Rose at the Beech House in Nashville, Own Side Now establishes Caitlin Rose’s diverse talent as the real thing – with every song, she seems to be singlehandedly breathing new life into a long tradition of American music. Her modern take on universal themes such as love and relationships provide the listener with a unique insight into a world where she seems wise beyond her years.

Live Review by Dave Simpson for guardian.co.uk

"Do you guys like rabbits?" asks 24-year-old Nashville singer Caitlin Rose. "I prefer them as pets than to eat. That's just a personal preference." Moments later, she's explaining that the song she's introducing, in her kooky way, isn't actually about rabbits – it's about people. "But the 16-year-old child in me called it For the Rabbits."

There are a lot of such asides at a Rose gig. The elfin girl in the denim jacket invents words ("funnish"), jokes about the acoustic guitar that dwarfs her ("it was made for a large person"), and compares a member of her hillbilly hipster band to a "1970s porn model". But the banter aside, the daughter of country songwriter Liz Rose and country-music marketing man Johnny B Rose is the most exciting prospect to come out of Nashville in years. With her crystalline, wounded drawl, her songs give old themes a quirky twist, such as when she compares love to "falling off a hoss and getting on again" in the breezy Learnin' to Ride.

You get the feeling that behind the stream of quips lies a sensitive artist. When someone in an otherwise adoring crowd says something unpleasant, she responds: "That one person ruined my night, but I'm going to play this song to make myself feel better." And her "angry, broken-hearted love songs", such as the sublime Own Side (which brilliantly pinpoints the emptiness of one-night stands), are surely written from personal experience.

But she never lingers anywhere too long, whether playing country pop (Shanghai Cigarettes, New York), Fleetwood Mac covers (That's Alright) or debating how many songs the cheering crowd want for encores ("Two? Ten?!!") "Happy songs sell records, sad songs sell beer," she chuckles. It's a manifesto that will take her a long way.
SOURCE guardian.co.uk

Links
http://thecaitlinrose.com/
http://www.facebook.com/caitlinrosemusic
http://www.myspace.com/caitlinrosesongs
http://www.last.fm/music/Caitlin+Rose