Lovers of indie blues, Americana rock and folk were no doubt happy to realize that the rumors of the "death" of this super witty Chicago based singer/songwriter were greatly exaggerated. That hasn't kept him from calling his brilliantly eclectic fifth album
My First Posthumous Release or teasing us with wry, hard to resist tunes with whimsical titles like "I'm Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" and "The Miracle of Pain," while offering a sense of "Soft Core Hope." Much too cool to be launched yet into the great beyond, the collection's 13 tracks -- which feature the powerful backing of his longtime band the Transcendos -- bloom with
Rose's stream of metaphor lyrics connecting many disjointed artifacts of life. A consummate and prolific live performer since his days as a songwriter, guitarist, flutist, and harmony vocalist for the rock band Buffalo Trout,
Rose always puts on a wild yet cool spontaneous show -- whether he's solo, with a full band, or some configuration in between. Think of the way a surprisingly loud crackly fire manages to give off a warm, steady glow -- you get a little of both with him. His songs are all unique musical snapshots of a life fully lived, and here, they flow like wild, wicked poetry from track to track.
Rose digs in with some heartfelt acoustic blues on "Going Down the Mississippi," which (ta da!) rhymes with the title of "I'm Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone," the tongue in cheek, playfully mournful tune that follows the ironic title track that in turn pokes fun of the way our culture makes celebrities out of the dead. But in
Rose's hands, it's clever, not morbid. Once he's "gone," he muses that "All the Trains Are Gone," a song about each train going by and the way we make excuses to stay on the platform and watch life pass us by. "Train" rhymes with "pain," as in the next tune, "The Miracle of Pain," a dark rumination about not feeling anything despite hurting so much.
Rose's lyrical wit and wisdom and infinitely catchy melodies continue to be a true treasure that makes indie music making in the late 2000s so inspiring. ~ Jonathan Widran