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Rosa Chance Well by Rosa Chance Well
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fave it Folk Rock | Delicate
11 tracks | 43 minutes
Released Oct 2003
on Kimchee Records
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- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:34 A Wonderful Life lyrics BUY MP3 02:34 A Wonderful Life lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:34 A Wonderful Life
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 02:49 There's Nothing Left to Spend lyrics BUY MP3 02:49 There's Nothing Left to Spend lyrics "GIFT MP3" 02:49 There's Nothing Left to Spend
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:42 Natural Disaster lyrics BUY MP3 03:42 Natural Disaster lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:42 Natural Disaster
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:56 Winter Chronicles lyrics BUY MP3 03:56 Winter Chronicles lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:56 Winter Chronicles
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:28 And So Then Were We lyrics BUY MP3 04:28 And So Then Were We lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:28 And So Then Were We
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:39 Bad Moon Rising lyrics BUY MP3 03:39 Bad Moon Rising lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:39 Bad Moon Rising
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:32 We Wore Long Sleeves lyrics BUY MP3 03:32 We Wore Long Sleeves lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:32 We Wore Long Sleeves
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:06 Parasol, Kites and Embers lyrics BUY MP3 03:06 Parasol, Kites and Embers lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:06 Parasol, Kites and Embers
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:32 The Kingdom lyrics BUY MP3 05:32 The Kingdom lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:32 The Kingdom
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:42 Drink Drank Sunk lyrics BUY MP3 05:42 Drink Drank Sunk lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:42 Drink Drank Sunk
- sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:01 Bell's Inn lyrics BUY MP3 04:01 Bell's Inn lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:01 Bell's Inn
Lush, atmospheric pop with a folky, intimate edge.
Editorial review
Although ex-Samuel members Dean Taormina and Vanessa Downing (also ex-Wicked Farleys) had been noodling around under the Rosa Chance Well moniker since 1996, they didn't commit their velvety, acoustic-based cocktail jazz to tape until 2001. The result is their self-titled Kimchee Records debut and its 11 gorgeous, almost painterly songs, each of which plays like a glimpse at an unfinished novel. Populated by crystal clear guitars and strong, unpretentious vocals (somewhat akin to Liz Phair if she could actually sing, rather than just talk-sing), the album never really drags or rocks out, it just sort of floats dreamily along in its own orbit. The one clear exception to this rule being the fuzzy, almost tidal rave-up at the end of the exquisite "Drink Drank Sunk." Guest spots by the likes of Chris Brokaw (Come/the New Year) and Karate's Jeff Goddard and Gavin McCarthy help flesh out the record a bit as needed, though the Rosa Chance Well duo was doing a fine job on their own. Sure, it would be temptingly simple just to ramble off a list of female-fronted bands and say that Rosa Chance Well sounds like them, but that would be unfair and probably a bit inaccurate. While Rosa Chance Well is indeed a group driven by a female voice, the fact of the matter is that they are quite unique. Too many singers try to inhabit the world of sickening preciousness and breathy baby vocals, the result being music devoid of any real sort of power or emotion. Thankfully, Rosa Chance Well's Vanessa Downing plays no such games. Instead, Downing's vocals are a refreshing burst of confidence, as she sings in a range that sounds natural, like breathing, like good singing should -- a bit like the best qualities of Scrawl, the Spinanes, or Cowboy Junkies at times. Album highlights come in the form of "And So Then Were We" and its recollection of "Nightly fables/Tales told under whiskey breath" and the slightly more playful coastal anthem "We Wore Long Sleeves." Also included is a truly minimalist cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising," which finds Downing's vocals strewn across a bed of muted, metronome-esque guitar picking. Truly an unexpectedly striking album worth seeking out, especially for fans of outfits like Cowboy Junkies, the Ethnobabes, Dealership, Shebrews, or the Velveteens. ~ Karen E. Graves, All Music Guide
Bio / Background
Rosa Chance Well mainstays Vanessa Downing and Dean Taormina claim to have been in Washington D.C. band Samuel in the early '90s. After that act folded the two formed Rosa Chantswell (notice the less obscure meaning of this proto-spelling) in 1995. Then...what? Well, we're talking about a "low-pro-file-lific" band here. A rumor that two songs were recorded in 1996 surfaces, although the songs never do. Time meanders along. Meanwhile Vanessa and Dean move to Boston. She does a stint in the undocumented all-girl pop combo The Good Furies, then joins The Wicked Farleys for the last year of their hallowed existence. Dean remains underground.
Enter recording engineer Andy Hong, who helped mix the last Farleys album. He convinces them to record. And despite growing legions of non-believers, an album is born. Gavin McCarthy and Jeff Goddard, the rhythm section of Karate, join Rosa Chance Well. And much more is established. Pop sophistication and sureness of execution become the rules.
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