[rating=9.00]
The young Caroline Rose has come a long way. Her independently produced and Kickstarter-funded record America Religious caught many ears upon its release last year, and now she’s out with her first studio album I Will Not Be Afraid, a tour de force of Americana roots and folk music that leaves a mark.
Along with her powerful, smoky and soulful voice, Rose’s songs are bursting with personality. While America Religious prominently featured a number of thoughtful, low key tunes like the haunting “Petrified Elizabeth” and “Notes From a Bedroom Upstairs”, Rose seems to have gotten more in touch with her wilder side on Afraid¬, and her confidence shines through more. Both “America Religious” and the title track “I Will Not Be Afraid” have made their way into the lineup from the first record, as well as exciting, new pulsating songs like “At Midnight” and “Blood on Your Boot Heels”.
This record is ripe with rockabilly influence and characters galore. “At Midnight” is sultry, man-eating Rose, while “Red Bikini Waltz” is quirky, folksy Rose. And although she plays with her identity throughout, she is still wholly herself. Her range is wide here, and it does not go unnoticed. She injects a sense of humor into her singing, utilizing her voice to its full potential. Band mate Jer Coons seems to play every instrument under the sun (drums and lap steel, to name a few), along with bass player Pat Melvin and Rose on guitar, to create full-bodied, living and breathing instrumentals.
Rose was raised on the east coast, and her glorious ode to its beauty and comfort is “Back East”, a totally addicting, lush build of guitars with soft vocals that mimic the scenery she so poignantly describes. The melody of the chorus is one that will surely stick with anyone who’s ever felt intense love for a place. “Shepherd” is the only real moment of slowing down on Afraid, but it’s so perfectly executed that you’ll listen from start to finish with bated breath. It’s a deeply personal tale of heartbreak that feels relatable, even though it isn’t your story. Rose has a way of affecting you so profoundly, that her sadness becomes yours, too.
Things pick up, though, and suddenly you’re dancing with her. “Let Me In” is astoundingly beautiful and so full of life, with likely the most gorgeous melodies of the whole record. “We’re young/we’re free/and we don’t need anyone,” Rose sings in that uninhibited, unkempt wail of hers, and you’re lost in the song just like that.
The champion of this album, though, is the title track. “I Will Not Be Afraid” is a testament to imperfection and how important it is to be wholeheartedly and unabashedly yourself, no matter what. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to catch one of Rose’s live shows, you know that she’s hilarious, awkward and one-of-a-kind. She revels in her oddball silliness, and is unapologetically weird in the best way. This song is statement-making, yet also exudes all the simple charm of a classic folk tune. Though she’s added more layers to it instrumentally from the version on her first record, the message is the same: “So long as I got that spirit in me/I will not be afraid.” And even if she were afraid, we’d never know it.
