Helen Rose was born in Los Angeles and began singing in her father's bluegrass band. Her musical horizons expanded after meeting blues enthusiast Jonah Tolchin in High School.
Tolchin is the producer on this record as he was on her 2018 debut, Trouble Holding Back. Rugged Elegance was recorded at Dead Pop Studios in Providence, Rhode Island.
Quite what genre you put Rose in now is unclear. Not straight bluegrass or the blues, that’s for sure. The smooth vocals and polished arrangements place it more in the category of easy listening pop.
She says that “every song is a portrait of someone or someplace beloved” and although many were recorded live in the studio plenty of care and attention has gone into the production. There’s nothing rugged or ragged about her sound.
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Demons features a duet with Tyler-James Kelly, the frontman of New England blues-rock band The Silks. It would be nice to report that this marks a change of mood but although Rose sings ”we’ve all got our demons”, whatever monsters she has remain carefully under control.
The tasteful understatement offers no hints of blemishes or vulnerabilities to the glossy exterior.
Helen Rose’s website
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