Joe Rose is a 52-year-old songwriter/producer who was born and raised in Los Angeles and has been residing in the Boston-area for the last twenty years. Over the years he has refocused his efforts by concentrating on solo projects and recording his own music.
Rose started his musical career in the late ’80s and early ‘90s as the co-founding member, co-songwriter and lead vocalist/keyboardist for the L.A. post-punk quintet called The Optimistics. After some time off he returned with his new release 124. The album contains thirteen songs and I would say there’s quite a bit of variety, so let’s get into it. Up first is “Northridge Quake” which contains earthy organ, driving drums, bass and an overall Americana type of quality. I was reminded of John Mellencamp and Tom Petty. It’s a fun opener and was also quite catchy. “Dust” is up next. This song had a couple of synths and an airy atmosphere feel to it. I really liked the vocal delivery on this song and Rose sounded similar to J Mascis on this song. The Americana spirit from the first song all but evaporated. “Disguise” is a high energy rocker that gets your adrenaline pumping right off the bat. “Denial, My Old Friend” was a certified highlight on the album. This song had a great groove and the Americana quality is back. I thought the vocals were on point and the drumming fit the song well. It’s also quite dynamic and displays his versatility. As the album progressed I thought there were a number of high points. The hard to define “Blessed” had some grit and well executed instrumentation with a good amount of attitude. Another highlight was ”Waiting out the Storm” which brought to mind The Doors. It drives more than a typical song by The Doors but the vocals did seem to align with Jim Morrison. I also loved “This Fools' Parade” which is one of the more joyful and dance worthy songs on the album. “Salvation” and “Handsome Ned” were also noteworthy tunes. As a recording engineer myself I would say my only critique was the mastering. The songs were often at different volumes. A proper mastering job would have helped to get a similar RMS level. Rose is a talented musician and quite versatile. 124 contains a number of quality of tunes. Take a listen.
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