The title of songstress Alexa Rose’s debut album is the song that won her the acclaimed songwriting competition at Merlefest in 2019. Much is made of her Appalachian roots, but the most unique aspect of her debut is the intersection of mountain music with Memphis rock n’ roll. Through Rose’s association with Tim Duffy 0 head of the non-profit Southern music preservation organization, Music Maker Relief Foundation – Rose was brought to the attention of Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum label head Bruce Watson who brought her to his home base, Memphis. “This album is Appalachia-meets-Memphis,” says Rose. “The stories and inspiration emanate from the mountains, but the tracks have all these different musical elements coming in.”
Recorded at Watson’s studio, the core band is comprised of renowned guitarist Will Sexton, drummer George Sluppick and bassist Mark Edgar Stuart, with guests including organists Rick Steff (Lucero) and Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones), among others. None of the musicians had met Rose or heard her songs prior to the recording session. Co-producers Watson and Clay Jones (Modest Mouse, Buddy Guy) kept the sessions as fresh and immediate as possible. Rose says, “What came out of that was really rook – we sorta let the songs be like taffy – we let them be moved and shaped and pulled in new and different ways.”
Growing up in the railroad town of Clifton Forge, Virginia, Rose was not only surrounded by mountain music, she became even more deeply immersed in it and folk ballads from the British Isles while attending Appalachian State University. She talks about the title track, “This song is about a love that is failing and that moment when something is about to come to an end. That moment should still be appreciated and enjoyed because it’s still part of love. I was trying to reason with myself about something that I had no control over. Medicine for the Living is about realizing that all we can do is be loving and reach for love and that itself can be healing.”
Her poignant, high alto voice brings the rich storytelling skills she has honed over the years, evoking Gillian Welch at times. Yet, as the organs swirl and the electric guitar notes ring, it’s immediately evident that mountain music has rarely, if ever, been rendered this way. Usually, we associate the term mountain music with and old-timey sound, but she and the band give it a fresh, contemporary veneer. To be fair, Patty Loveless practically coined the term, ‘mountain soul,’ some of which we hear in Rose’s songs too, Rose claims to be influenced by several people such as John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, and Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff, who show up in the songs in different ways.
The ten songs are all Rose originals. Her voice is a gorgeous, pure instrument, perhaps evidenced best on the third track. “The Last Wildflower,” also released as a single and supported beautifully by Eric Lewis’ pedal steel and Gamble’s Wurlitzer. Those two guest sidemen are joined by three background vocalists for the melodic “Leaving Kind.” The most Appalachian sounding tune is the rousing “Fine Tooth Comb, imbued by Aaron Farmer’s fiddle. The tempo slows for the lovely ballad “The Way Love Is,” again with a strong Wurlitzer contribution from Gamble. “Tried and Ture” is a mid-tempo rocker driven by Steff’s organ and accordion while Sexton plucks just the right guitar notes. The closer, the five and half-minute “Untitled No. 47” flows gently and appropriately sounds the most unrehearsed and spontaneous, with Sexton and Gamble filling in the spaces.
This is an auspicious debut, especially given that it’s a bit of an experiment. Rose considers these songs to be about the lessons she’s learned and the people and places that have shaped her current outlook. Despite this comment – “There’s a lot of tension between wanting to leave your home and go out into the world, and the roots that pull you back,” she seems completely relaxed and free in this musical setting, which works remarkably well.
