Baby Rose Bares Her Soul in the Dreamlike 'To Myself'
When an artist bares their soul on a record, it creates a unique sense of transcendence for the listener. In revisiting her debut album, To Myself, Baby Rose, born Jasmine Rose Wilson, fully lets us in. Listening to the gracefully pensive album feels like being a guest in her desert dream as each song slowly escorts the sun closer to the horizon.
Track one, "Sold Out," kicks off the dream with the sound of wind and a mirage-like guitar before desert raindrops trickle on the guitar strings, welcoming dusk. Next is the sound of a car driving off as if both Wilson and any listeners are abandoned in this desert dream.
"All To Myself," the sixth track of the album, is set at the lonely hour of 3 a.m. as Wilson bears her soul through an organ-accompanied confession. After taking listeners on multiple journeys through songs like "Mortal" and "Over," Wilson scores the sunrise with "Show You," which ends abruptly as if queuing everyone to gently wake up.
Through every second To Myself, Wilson displays a truly exceptional, unrelenting vocal presence. It is as though her voice was created by some magical potion with a dash of an Amy Winehouse belt, a Tracy Chapman vibrato, a Michael Jackson rasp, a Robert Plant sense of urgency, and a timbre all her own that glides sublimely with each and every note.
To Myself, in both its original and deluxe release, is a reminder of the power of a full, complete album that is worth listening to from top to bottom. Every single song offers a valuable piece to Wilson's heart-spilling puzzle. Though her album sounds like something she meant for herself, Wilson graced us by letting us in. And we're very thankful she did.
Listen to To Myself below:
