Whitney Rose-South Texas Suite Album Cover

REVIEW – SOUTH TEXAS SUITE BY WHITNEY ROSE

Rating: 8/10

Ever since I first heard Whitney Rose’s last album Heartbreaker of the Year, I have been looking forward to hearing more music from her. Therefore, I was really excited to hear her new South Texas Suite EP when it was released back in January. Given Whitney Rose’s move to Texas, I was curious about whether or not this EP would sound different from her last album.

Upon listening, I can definitely say that it does. It’s still got the nice blend of pop and country Whitney Rose did so well on Heartbreaker of the Year, but with a great Texas bent. That is shown right away on the opening track “Three Minute Love Affair”. There is some really good accordion, and it immediately sets the tone for the song. It revolves around a couple on the dance floor. They had never met before the dance, but for three minutes of the song, they are in the midst of a love affair of music and movement. For those three minutes, it’s just the two of them, the dance, and the song.

Next is “Analog”, where Whitney talks about wanting things to be simpler. She wants records instead of digital music, and a memory instead of a photograph. It’s a really nice song about wanting to get back things that we’ve lost because of technology. It’s not preachy by any means as the technology part was just briefly mentioned in the song, but I thought it was a nice sentiment. I really like the instrumentation, too. It’s got a slower pace, with a bit of an older pop sound.

Following these two songs, there’s “My Boots”. This is my favorite track off of the EP. It’s all about Whitney Rose just wanting to be herself. No matter where she goes, she just wants to be comfortable, and she won’t dress herself up to make a better impression. This song has some really good steel guitar and fiddle in it, too, so that always helps.

“Blue Bonnets” is all about the main character wanting to make things better for her partner. She wants to remind him of all the good things the world has to offer when he comes home. The music of this song really reminds me of 60s pop, and it brings back the vintage Whitney Rose sound heard on her last album that I liked so much, because while it has that older pop flair, there is some great fiddle too. Then there’s “Looking back on Luckenbach”. I love the title of this one. The main character is looking back to the town where a lot of her best memories were made. This is probably the song that I like the least, but it’s not bad at all. It’s got a nice easy pace with some really good instrumentation.

Lastly, there’s “How About A Hand for the Band”. It’s a simple instrumental where the band gets to show off their skills. I thought this was a great way to give the musicians a chance to shine. As Whitney Rose produced this herself, I just thought it was a really nice touch.

Overall, I do quite like this EP. I really like the new Texas sound Whitney Rose worked with on here. From the accordion to the steel, to some honky tonk settings and Texas themes, I thought it was an interesting step for her. I’m definitely eager to see what she comes out with next.

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4 thoughts on “REVIEW – SOUTH TEXAS SUITE BY WHITNEY ROSE”

  1. I’m super behind on new album releases, but I keep hearing great things about this particular EP. I liked her last album so I’ll have to bump this up on my “to hear” list. By the way, welcome to Country Exclusive, Brianna! Your work has been great so far.

  2. I don’t think this sets her apart like Heartbreaker of the Year, but I think this is better. That album was very unique in a way that this won’t be, but I think the production on this EP suited her voice much more. The thing that bothered me about Heartbreaker, and I remember sCM commenting on it too, was that her vocals were sometimes buried and really hard to understand. Her voice is much more focal here which makes me glad. I especially like “My Boots.” In a world where women, especially women in this type of industry, are often told what to wear, this shows a lot of originality and self-awareness, but in a subtle way.

  3. I’m glad you’re liking my work here so far, Leon. Hopefully that’ll continue. 🙂
    Also, I agree about her vocal range being shown off more in this album, Megan. I like her last album a lot because it was really unique. But I love this one because of the Texas sound.

  4. I saw her perform last year in Nashville. “My Boots” is probably my favorite song she has done so far, but it might work against her a little that it runs close to 5 minutes ? Regardless, she’s playing in Austin some next week, so anyone in town for SXSW might check to see where she might turn up.

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