Christina LaRocca’s These Are My Whiskey Dreams is a vocal tour de force for an artist with only her third two full length album and two EPs. The evolving songstress is restless, relatively genre agnostic, and courageous enough to vary her palette confident that her strong, soulful vocal pipes will carry her through. She originally hails from NYC but is now based in L.A. Growing up in family of musicians and singers, she was an active blues and soul musician in NYC but has become more of a pop and rock singer since relocating. You’ll hear strains of both of those as well as touches of Americana and reggae.
The repertoire might be too diverse for most but LaRocca claims it’s a solid representation of who she is as an artist. For an album with only eight tracks (plus two bonuses), there are four guest producers – Grammy Award winning Andros Rodriguez (Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Florence + the Machine), Alex Arias (Cher, Santana, Joe Cocker), Gene Micofsky (Composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist) and Khalid Philips AKA Lid (Republic Records/Interscope). Apparently, it wasn’t planned this way but came together this way through chance meetings and changing schedules. The breadth of artists listed gives some idea of the range of her project.
On the mix of influences, LaRocca comments, “I’m not afraid to be who I am anymore. I don’t like the idea of labels or a linear path –‘she’s this kind of artist, or that kind of artist, or this album isn’t enough of this or has enough of that’—I’ve been inspired by so many different kinds of music and experiences in my life. You will truly hear a little bit of all on this record. I’m glad I did it this way.”
She begins with a western-influenced “A Man Like You,” about putting faith into a relationship and moving across the country for the commitment. It plays like a road song with producer Rodriguez at the helm. “Capsized” is an alt. rocker where LaRocca absolutely wails. “Home” was written three years after LaRocca left NYC. It’s more restrained and nostalgic with Micofsky adding a gentle slide and Jake Pinto (of the Yeahtones) a piano solo. The nuances of LaRocca’s voice are evident in the gentle, string-backed opening “Hard to Trust in Love” that morphs into a much grander sound.
Understandably, LaRocca was bit worried about the reaction to “Smoke Marijuana,” not for its subject matter but for the reggae stylings which separate it form the other songs. This was a purposely light tune to break up the others which are more serious. It was released as a single on 4-19, just in time for 4-20. The title track is the oldest song; one she’s been playing for several years live. It’s another that begins sparsely and builds to powerful instrumental and vocal passages – “You only say you love me/When you been drinkin’/Whiskey and soda in your glass Man I’m sinkin’/I do not make a sound/As you order another round/’cause….I like what I’m hearin’/It takes two to play the game I as I pretend to feel the same/But it’s wrong, so wrong and you know it.” She ends with two rockers in “Hearts Beat Faster” and “Breathe.” The two bonus tracks – “Child of the Sun” and “I Am Only Human” are from 2017 EP Child of the Sun.
This an album that packs one huge vocal punch. It certainly comes off as the next big chapter for LaRocca who relates this story which is too compelling to leave out. “I’m pretty sure my last full-length got people laid a lot,” she jokes. “My new songs are different, a bit more empowering. There was a pint while I was living in los Angeles where I stopped playing music and was working a soulless job, hating my life. I decided enough was enough and found an incredible voice teacher, Tania Solomon, who brought me back to life, and now I’m vocally stronger than I’ve ever been. I booked a show at Genghis Cohen in Hollywood, and coincidentally, Annie Lennox was in the audience supporting her daughter’s band who played before me. I poured everything I had into that set. Annie took notice right away and stayed for the entire set and sat down right in front of me. Like, right in front of me. Afterward, we chatted, and she insisted I pursue my music. After that, I quit my job, and started working on this record.”
It’s fair to say that Annie Lennox’s words were more than enough inspiration but some of Lennox’s fire seems to also have been sent LaRocca’s way.
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thank you for the beautiful review – truly!! xoxoxo