Rosetta West – Night’s Cross
It’s not too often you hear a band like Illinois’ Rosetta West. The prolific duo specialize in blues rock with unique flairs – think Romani folk music and psych rock – that pushes the limits of what one might consider “blues.” Their latest offering is the disarming Night’s Cross, a twelve-song collection that explore themes of death and mortality without ever feeling somber. The album is stuffed with raw and unfiltered rock ‘n roll that’s gritty, rough, and wild – just like rock music was meant to be.
Immediately, Rosetta West kicks off with the drunken swagger of “Save Me.” Slinky slide guitar moans and groans throughout this song, laying down a woozy backbone for frontman Joseph Demagore’s gravel-throat vocals. Structurally, “Save Me” is pretty traditional, at least from a songwriting perspective – laying down a twelve-bar-bluesish chord progression with a rock solid bass/percussion presence. That tried-and-true build is really all you need – Rosetta West’s eclectic nature takes care of the rest.
They continue this energy on song two, “Suzie,” albeit at a more dirge-like tempo, this time about (I’m assuming) a lady of the night. Suzie sounds like a lost soul – the kind you might find at a truck stop somewhere in the American southwest. In a testament to Rosetta West’s storytelling ability, I learned a lot about her – her book of poetry, her homelessness, her tendency to knock on your door in the middle of the night… Rosetta West made me feel sympathy for what I’m assuming is a fictional person, and I’m giving them major kudos for that. Night’s Cross has its fair share of songs about mysterious women, and if you didn’t get your fill with “Suzie,” there are two more rip-roaring offerings directly proceeding it – “Dora Lee” and “Diana.”
There’s lots to dig into here on Night’s Cross, so we’ll rapid fire some more highlights. The acoustic drawl of “Cold Winter Moon” gets our nod for album favorite, not only because it might be the cleanest-sounding song on the album, but because it’s topical of our brutal Buffalo winters. “Desperation” sounds more like a shamanic chant than a song, pairing otherworldly vibes with bongos and timpani-esque thumps. “Baby Doll” harkens back to “Save Me” with its chunky electric guitar strut, begging for a sweaty bar room performance. They end things on another acoustic note, with the wild-hearted energy of “Underground Again” – with true one-take energy (I cannot confirm or deny this claim), Rosetta West rips into what feels like an improvised display of slide guitar insanity… But after eleven crazy songs, did you really expect any less?
Save Me is available on all major streaming services (notably bandcamp), where you can find the rest of their deep discography.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna