Released on April 24, 2020, powerhouse singer Whitney Rose diversifies herself on We Still Go To Rodeos.
Whitney Rose’s lyrics are raw and direct, there is definitely no fluff in her songwriting. This collection of songs contains a lot of heartache and sadness. Some of the lyrical content deals with topics such as infidelity, young pregnancy, bad and dead relationships. The thoughts and feelings are obviously spoken from a feminine perspective as she is navigating through some rough waters on various songs.
Whitney wrote all of the songs on the album and by the last track you feel as though she has ripped off a band-aid and shown you all her raw emotions. I think the words on this album and their realness ground it within the Americana arena while the music often explores rock, funk, blues and so forth. Each song is a little nugget of surprises waiting to seep into your consciousness.
Stand out tracks:
“Just Circumstance” – This is a catchy song with dark lyrics that sets the tone for the whole album.
“Home With You” – one of the best tracks on the album. Sung from a positive relationship perspective, Whitney sings about wanting to go home with her guy, someone she has been with for a while and yet he still turns her on.
“Believe Me Angela” – another favorite of mine. It is a bit twangy. In this song the wife is talking to Angela, “other woman”, telling her what she wants to do to her until she realizes it’s not Angela’s fault she’s the other woman. The song has a nice lyrical twist.
“In A Rut” – punk rock song. It’s loud, it’s rough.
“A Hundred Shades of Blue” – laid back, lush bluesy song with a Spanish guitar sound. This song amps up the variety of the album.
“I’d Rather Be Alone” – rocker and my favorite song on the album. It also has my favorite lyric “I’d rather be alone than lonely”. Lyrically the song deals with a relationship that has long since died. From the singer’s perspective she remembers how her partner used to be attentive and now just looks passed her if she doesn’t exist.
“You’d Blame Me For The Rain” – I would describe it as a “drippy” funk song that sounds like early 90’s Prince.
“Through the Cracks” – almost reminds me of 60’s R&B. I love this song too, most because of her vocal phrasing. I think this would be the perfect song to perform acoustically.
“We Still Go To Rodeos” – with a slower tempo it sounds like a song they would have danced to at the prom in 1955 and not exactly what you would expect from a song with the title. The lyrics address a couple who may not be perfect but at least they have each other.
This album shows an artist that is attempting to broaden her musical sound. Whitney says “I don’t want to make the same album over and over again and this one is no different. I’m not changing styles or redirecting my career as much as I’m expanding on avenues that I’ve explored previously…” We Still Go To Rodeos strongly diversifies her catalog of songs and that is what she ended on doing. Whitney Rose does things on her own terms and it shows in everything she does.
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