Haroula Rose

Female acoustic folk singer-songwriters are a hard group to judge sometimes. Typically the vocals are pleasant, the instrumentation is sparse, and the themes are familiarly maudlin enough to be recognizable without being entirely memorable. So while the efforts often sound good and make for great background music on a lazy day when you don’t feel like leaving your bed, they tend to sound the same.

Someday, the debut five-song EP from Haroula Rose, falls right into this category: it’s pretty, but you’ve heard it before, even if it was inspired by the 2 years she spent in Spain on a Fulbright scholarship.

The EP starts with the laid back, lullaby-like title track, featuring a pair of lovers who are dreaming of somebody else and a grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side sort of future that prevents them from living in the present. Quiet, piano-driven and augmented by barely there acoustic guitar and tambourine, it is a languid, dreamy piece. But so is the next track, “Love Will Follow.” In fact, most of the album falls prey to this problem: it sounds like one long song with the requisite “la la la” interludes occasionally popping in for the sake of “variety.”

“If I Could Pray” is the only standout track. Soft and languid like the other songs, it is filled out by an accordion, banjo and unobtrusive hand-clapping to keep the time. Rose details her struggle with the idea of faith and yet wishes for God to hear her song anyway because it’s the best she can do. I am sure all the tracks mean something to Rose, but this track is the only one that feels like she means what she’s saying.

Despite the general similarities her album shares with those of many other folksy singer-songwriters, Haroula Rose has a soft, lilting voice that is definitely worth hearing and truly is the star of this brief show. She mostly keeps to a lower register and tone a la Miranda Lee Richards, but while the richness of her voice may be enough to keep your attention, it falls short of being mesmerizing.

As an EP, Someday does a good enough job of making you want to hear more of what Rose has to offer (she is currently recording her full-length debut); unfortunately, it’s not exactly new, so while there is some excitement here, it is tempered at best.

Tagged as: Haroula Rose, Someday

Does it Resonate with you?

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

URL