by Ljubinko Zivkovic (@zivljub)
Sometimes it is so easy to disqualify singer/songwriters. Either their music contains no variation from the acoustic guitar/piano backing and/or their lyrics are so self-centered that they fall under that dreaded category of “navel gazing”. That is something that nobody should do with Esther Rose or her most recent album Safe to Run. Moving from New Orleans to New Mexico, it seems that Rose re-charged both her personal and musical batteries, coming up with a sound that is at the same time both so familiar and personal, that practically any listener can relate to it.
The familiar part seems to be created by Rose's long time collaborators Ross Farbe and Lyle Werner, but also by the rootsy sound created by the New Orleans based band Silver Synthetic on many songs, Cameron Snyder of The Deslondes, as well as Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. That rootsy sound dominates throughout and can be best heard on tracks like “Chet Baker” or “Stay”. Yet on the title track (the one that features Hurray for the Riff Raff) or “Spider,” Rose adds the personal touch that is so essential if you want your music to stand out. This is reflected both in Rose's songwriting that has as much of a pop element to make it so palpable to everybody's ears, but also her lyrics that easily skip over the every day and mundane.
As Rose explains herself, “My challenge every time I picked up the pen was: not another heartbreak song, look around you. Writing from depths never explored and feeling sometimes like I was losing my mind, a softness unfurled. I’ve moved out of a chaotic, transitional place. I’m not running anymore. This album feels different to me than everything I’ve made before it. But who knows? I’ve traded hurricanes for wildfires.” An album to cherish, and not only for the fans of the singer/songwriter genre.