Reviews, Interviews and Quotes

“Last year I made the mistake of proclaiming Ellen Rosner’s Count to 3 the masterpiece of the year in my March review. Then a month later I had to bite my tongue and make an identical statement about the Marvin Tate D-Settlement’s American Icons. By the time Strain Busy Sky’s Running with the Sun hit my ears I had to admit that I looked foolish. Al Rose’s new Gravity of Crow tempts me in the same way as Rosner, the D-Settlement, and S.B.S. and you’ll have to forgive my eagerness. But it’s all Rose’s fault.” Read the entire article…

— Vern Hester, Windy City Times, March 2003

“At his best, Rose writes intimate songs, bristling with sharp turns of phrase and a level of introspection that by itself would be worth venting accompanied by little more than an acoustic guitar. But Rose doesn’t stop here. Gravity Of Crow, his fourth album, sidesteps categorizations that might befall less ambitious singers: ‘folk,’ ‘pop,’ ‘Dylan wanna be.’ The arranging on Gravity is as ambitious as Rose’s lyricism, an orchestral country-blues that magnifies and dramatizes his wordplay: the dark comedy of ‘Shut,’ to the majestic chorus of ‘Egg Me On.’ Too many would-be poets treat sonics as an afterthought, but with Rose his language was music.”

— Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, February 2003

“Like his idol, Bob Dylan, Rose is refreshingly literate in his approach. He has an engaging knack for linking words into phrases rife with imagery, allowing him to painting audio pictures which ride gently over subtle melodies.” Read the entire article…

— Tom Lounges, January 2003

“When you are Al Rose, you are going to tie […] things together and write (and arrange) songs that are going to stop listeners in their tracks. Rose does this on Gravity of Crow, his fourth disc.” Read the entire article…

— Paul Barile, chicagoartsandentertainment.com, January 2003

“Gravity is one of those discs that offers little sonic surprises with every listen. Whether it is the feathery texture of a woman’s harmony vocal or jangly acoustic guitar fills, producers Rose and Blaise Barton have assembled 13 beautiful soundscapes.” Read the entire article…

— Paul Barile, chicagoartsandentertainment.com, January 2003

“Listening to Al Rose is like standing in a huge gallery of abstract art. As you stare up at the paintings entitled, “Egg Me On”, “New Coat Of Paint”, and “Random Hollow Diesel Train”, you can’t help but wonder, “Am I the only one here who gets, or doesn’t get this?” Indeed, Al’s lyrics challenge description. So much of the joy is in following the words through frequent and mysterious twists and turn, brought masterfully together by Al’s unique and controlled voice. Throughout Gravity of Crow, Al shares his views on current and recurrent events with whimsy and imagery that occasionally dips intriguingly dark and cold. His powerful
and passionate singing is supported by fine arrangements and polished production techniques which include the use of woodwinds, strings and dobro. As good as he is on this latest project, he’s best caught live. You won’t be disappointed. This is sophisticated, provocative listening, the kind of tunes that prompt you to “Rustle up the Mighty-O’s, cuz’ there’s orange juice at the silhouette.” While I didn’t know it when I first drew the comparison between Al’s music and abstract art, he is an accomplished artist.”

— Singer Magazine, June 2003

“One of the best of the best in Chicagoland… Rose is an exceptional wordsmith, with a penchant for Bob Dylan imagery”

— Midwest Beat Magazine, October 2003

“A spectacularly interesting independent artist that you shouldn't miss”

— River Cities Reader

“A psychological analysis of Abraham Lincoln is not common subject matter for today’s singer-songwriters. Maybe a century ago, but not today. However, such is the strength of Rose’s songwriting that you are three minutes into digging the pop-blues vibe of ‘Lincoln’ before you realize it really is about Honest Abe. Al Rose is a sophisticated songwriter. He has an Elvis Costello-like vocal delivery and blends folk, jazz and country motifs into his multi-faceted sound. His powerful expression and intelligent writing draws in the listener with a hypnotist’s power. Rose’s backing band is The Transcendos and in that band is vocalist Laura Blye. Her gospel-tinged blues-based backing vocals add to the spell of ‘Pigeon’s Throat.’” [4 out of 5 rating]

— Tom "Tearaway" Schulte, Outsight Magazine, March 4, 2000

“The third album from folk artist Al Rose is an intricate knot work of metaphors and lyrical turns of phrase. He paints each song with such depth sometimes the result leaves the listener a bit acrophobic. Other times he knows just the right point in which to ground us with pointedly simplistic lines such as the finishing words of ‘Metaphor’ where he reminds us that “sometimes a scar is just a scar.” He balances the complexity of his verse with unadorned melodies and the delivery of a spoken word artist. Read the entire article…

— Ellen Stenard, chicagogigs.com, February 28, 2000

“As a singer/sewing machine, Al Rose counts his influences in all the major food groups…. Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed, writer Henry Miller, painters Chagall, Soutine… Coltrane… a good strong cup of coffee… a glass of wine… and raw and cooked garlic.” Read the entire article…

— Dominick A. Miserandino, The Celebrity Cafe.com, July 19, 1999

“Every once in a while, a folk artist takes a genuinely new viewpoint and carries it to its limits. Jim Infantino and Faith Soloway illustrate such integrity of vision. So does Al Rose. Let’s not invoke the name of every important new voice of the last 30 years; there’s no way of knowing if this guy is or wants to be the next Leonard Cohen, or whoever. Instead, here’s a look at Al Rose’s CD, Naked in a Trailer.” Read the entire article…

— Marilyn Rea Beyer, New England Folk Almanac Review, Winter 1998

“With his acoustic songcraft and love of wordplay, this veteran local performer might have been right at home in an Old Town coffeehouse, circa 1972. But Rose has far grander ambitions, and though they sometimes get the better of him, Naked In A Trailer is one audaciously entertaining ride. Rose sometimes overreaches with pseudo-poetic lyrics and too-busy arrangements, but he scores with moments of surreal insight and a bemused outsider’s wit. Oddly charming melodies emerge from a varied bed of settings, incorporating everything from gospel to progressive jazz.”

— Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, Jan. 17, 1997

“In today’s “alternative” music scene, being different is about as mainstream as wearing Levis. As long as musicians are different in just the right way, they have a chance to make it to the top-ten charts, but this leaves little room for artists who are truly alternative, like Al Rose.” Read the entire article…

— Michael Maiese, Strong Coffee, Vol. VII No. 4-5, Jan. 1997

“Al Rose, the undisputed king of Chicago quirk, has taken a giant step forward on his second record, Naked In A Trailer. Surrealist visions abound while Rose’s backing band, The Transcendos, empathically match his slow, low, rise style. Uncompromising songcraft that haunts and goads, this record is filled with metaphors, signifiers and overt symbolism. On “Channel To Channel” the vapid, addictive evils of cable TV are described in frighteningly lurid terms. The personal crisis of a starving artist is laid bare on the title cut as he sings, “Could I make it as a tailor with a scissors and a cloth? Or will I be naked in a trailer with a gun inside my mouth.” While Rose’s lyrics demand serious attention and are always the focal point of his songs, the Transcendos’ organic, instrumental accompaniment is just too strong to be ignored. Heath Chappell on drums and Steve Hashimoto on bass are as fine a rhythm section as Chicago has to offer and the harmonies of Laura Blye are no less than angelic. Yes, Chicago’s visionary tractor man has tilled the songwriter’s soil and unleashed his idiosyncratic folka-rocka-boom on the innocent masses. Not a moment too soon, either.”

— Mitch Myers, Manhattan Mirror, August 1996

“Try to think of Jack Kerouac walking around with the original ‘On The Road’ manuscript on a 120-foot roll of typewriter paper under his arm. He marched from publisher to publisher and faced numerous rejections, aching and struggling to get his work printed somewhere. Kerouac’s was an uphill battle that must have seemed quite hopeless. Al Rose is in a somewhat similar position, at the mercy of booking agents, club owners and record companies that don’t appreciate his work as much as they should. Most of us aren’t interested in unknown artists until someone else notices them first. Nonconformity is never an easy sell until after it has been properly packaged.” Read the entire article…

— Mitch Myers, Manhattan Mirror, August 1995