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 /TiVo