Singer-songwriter Helen Rose has announced the release of her latest album ‘Rugged Elegance’ which will be issued via Clover Music Group on 12th July 2024. It comes six years after its predecessor ‘Trouble Holding Back’; Rose has since made a name for herself as a composer, winning awards for her original scores for film and TV.
However, she wanted to resume her true passion: songwriting, live performance, and making records. For ‘Rugged Elegance’ she teamed up with old schoolfriend Jonah Tolchin, who plays guitars, and fellow musicians Nic Coolidge (bass), Kevin Clifford (bass) as well as famous pedal and lap steel player Greg Leisz. The album was recorded at Coolidge’s Dead Pop Studios in Providence, Rhode Island with Tolchin, who is also the label owner, producing.
Rose was born in Los Angeles and grew up in a family deeply rooted in the arts. The family moved between the Maryland coast and central California. As a young girl, she began to sing with her father’s bluegrass band and was hooked, eventually adding the saxophone and guitar to her musical arsenal.
Every song on ‘Rugged Elegance’, the majority of which are Rose/ Tolchin co-writes, is a distinct portrait of someone or someplace beloved, but they all emanate from a singular place of honesty, reflection and a desire to embrace one another in times of difficulty. Its sound channels the icons who have defined her old-time roots – Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt to name three. These influences and her background are reflected in the variety of the performances which range from gospel-tinged country to raucous blues.
The second single taken from ‘Rugged Elegance’ is ‘Demons’ on which Rose duets with Tyler-James Kelly. Opening sweetly with twangy guitars and steel, the song quickly takes a darker turn addressing lovers’ inner demons.
