ROSIE GAINES-WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

dereksmusicblog ♦ October 18, 2011 ♦ Leave a comment

ROSIE GAINES-WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

Many people reading this article may be thinking that they recognize the name Rosie Gaines, but can’t quite place her. They’ll have heard of her, but can’t quite remember where. To save you wracking your brains any more, I’ll tell you where you might have heard of her. Rosie used to be part of Prince’s backing band The New Power Generation, joining the group in 1990. Her meeting with Prince was purely coincidental. She was in a recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she was singing a demo of a song for The Pointer Sisters. Who should walk into the studio but Prince. Immediately he was struck by her talents as a vocalist, and asked her to join his band. In 1990, she joined the band as vocalist and keyboard player for Prince’s Nude Tour. The first Prince album she appeared on was Graffiti Bridge, and she appeared on the Graffiti Bridge film as a member of The New Power Generation. After that, Rosie featured on Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls album, but left his band after the Diamonds and Pearls’ tour in 1992, to continue her solo career. That wasn’t the end of her working relationship with Prince, she continued to work with him occasionally.

By the time Rosie left The New Power Generation, she’d previously released two solo albums. They were Caring, released in 1985, and No Sweeter Love, released in 1987. Her third album Concrete Jungle, was released in 1992, the year she left The New Power Generation. Her next album Closer Than Close, was released in 1995. Two years later, in 1997, the title track was remixed and reached number four in the UK singles charts, and in the process, became a favorite in clubs across the UK. 

Sensing the future potential of the internet as a means of releasing music, Rosie founded her own record label Dredlix Records, releasing her 1997 album Arrival on the internet, via her own website. Although the album was limited to just two-thousand copies, the way it was released proved just how important the internet could be as a medium for releasing music.

In 2003, Rosie signed with Dome Records in the UK, and released her next album You Gave Me the Freedom in February 2004. Like previous albums, Rosie wrote every song on the album, and produced the album herself. Two years later, in October 2006, Rosie released Welcome To My World, which this article is about. It was her seventh studio album, and was released on SuSu Records. Of all the albums Rosie has released, Welcome To My World is my favorite, featuring some great music which I’ll now tell you about.

Welcome To My World opens with the title track, Welcome To My World, which opens with spacey keyboards, gentle guitar and electric piano before Rosie half-spoken vocal enters. Once she starts to sing, the sound has a real Nu Soul sound and feel. The arrangement has a lush, rounded sound, with sweet backing vocalists. a crisp drum beat accompanied by stabs of keyboards, handclaps and bass. Atop this melodic and catchy arrangement sits Rosie’s vocal, which has a loose, yet confident and rich sound. When you listen to the melody it has a lovely lush sound, which meanders beautifully along, with a myriad of backing vocalists accompanying Rosie’s now powerful and charismatic vocal, which soars heavenwards. Later in the track, Rosie scats, ad-libbing her way to the end of the tracks. As she does this, you realize just how talented and versatile a vocalist she really is. When her vocal is combined with the arrangement that’s melodic and lush, it’s a winning combination. and the perfect track to open the album.

Just A Moment Away is a slower, looser sounding track, that opens with keyboards, slow spacey drums, braying horns and handclaps, accompanying Rosie’s vocal. It’s slower, breathy vocal, accompanied by a dark bass line, flute and regular , brief interjections from horns. As the song progresses, the tempo quickens, with Rosie’s vocal strengthening, becoming powerful and laden with passion. Meanwhile, the arrangement unfolds, with chiming guitars, reverberating keyboards and crisp, crunchy beats combining. Backing vocalists help Rosie steer the song towards a combination of Nu Soul and hip hop. However, quickly, the track changes directio again, heads towards a soulful conclusion, after a diversion down a route marked hip hop. Although quite different from the opening track, Just A Moment Away is blessed with a hugely powerful, soaring vocal from Rosie, and an arrangement that fuses together elements of soul and a sprinkle of hip hop really well.

Straight away. when Mamma Soul opens, Rosie’s vocal is quite simply a combination of controlled power, passion and energy. It’s almost a cross between a roar and snarl, that leaves you both speechless and full of admiration for her and whoever Mamma Soul is based upon. The arrangement sees the rhythm section, keyboards and guitars. Drumbeats are at the heart of the arrangement, while keyboards and backing vocalists play important roles. However, everything else plays second best to Rosie’s dynamic and energetic vocal, which is hugely powerful and impressive.

What’s noticeable even after three tracks is the similarity between the arrangements on this album and those on albums by other Nu Soul artists. Listen to Erykah Badu, Angie Stone and Jill Scott and you’ll hear similar sounding arrangements. Much of that is down to the way the drumbeats and keyboards are used. Although not a criticism, the crispness of the beats and similar floaty, stabs of keyboards seem to be present on albums by each of these artists. Sometimes, I think that this doesn’t do the artist any favors, as their voices deserve a more traditional sounding arrangement. 

On Shafeek (I Love You), my observations are proved correct straight away. Here, the arrangement brings to mind several similar sounding tracks by other Nu Soul singers. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad track. Quite the opposite. Another excellent vocal from Rosie, ably assisted by some clever interplay between Rosie and some similarly joyful sounding backing vocalists helps make this one of the tracks highlights. Even the arrangement works. Those crisp, drumbeats crunch, while synths squelch and backing vocalists joyously and soulfully unite sweetly. They provide a contrast to Rosie’s louder, brisker sound vocal, as she sings about love and relationships. When the arrangement moves on from the sharper sounding parts to the lush sounding parts, the introduction of the backing vocalists is a masterstroke. Between them and Rosie’s forceful, passion drenched voice, and an arrangement that veers between sharp and lush, this track really works, thanks to Rosie’s passion and the backing vocalists’ joyful contributions.

Some of the best lyrics on the album are to be found on Sun Moon. There thoughtful wistful and somewhat mysterious, as they ponder the bigger questions about life, how we got here and what we are. The song has a spiritual sound and feel, that’s full of energy and is just one of those tracks that’s hard to get out of your head. It’s so catchy, almost infectious, and this is the case from the opening bars of the song. A slow, lush sound meanders beautifully out of your speakers, thanks to a combination of keyboards, piano, tight, joyous sounding backing vocals and handclaps. Rosie’s voice soars, improvising, before her vocal enters, accompanied by just a melodic keyboards and handclaps. Quickly, the backing vocalists reenter, their voices complimenting Rosie’s voice perfectly. Like the previous track, their contribution is huge, really playing their part in the track’s success. Their interaction with Rosie, is a contrast of styles. Rosie’s voice soars, powerfully, full of passion, while the backing vocalists sweet harmonies are much more subtle. Together, this meeting of styles makes this easily, the best track on the album.

A dramatic, almost grandiose sound opens Number 1. It sounds like something from the crucial part in a blockbuster movie, all stirring drums, strings and subtle interjections from a horn. Quickly however, that gives way to a very different and much more palatable sound and style. Previously, I’ve mentioned how there’s both a lushness and catchy sound to some of the arrangements. Here is returns, with a combination of keyboards, piano, bass, handclaps and horn accompanying Rosie’s passionate, power laden vocal. As usual, the backing vocalists are present, and as if on cue, their practiced, tight, harmonies sweep in, soulfully. Meanwhile, Rosie takes a detour towards a jazz style and sound, scatting and ad-libbing her way through the song. This is a change from her usual style, which is full of power, passion and charisma. The change in style demonstrates her versatility as a vocalist, and is a welcome change in style. Apart from the dramatic, grandiose, introduction which I didn’t think worked, this was a good track, with Rosie, her backing vocalists and band combining well to combine Nu Soul, R&B and a hint of jazz.

I Do is another love song, one about being in love and meeting the right person. Again, the tempo is slower, a combination of rhythm section and keyboards, accompanying Rosie, whose voice is much more gentle and soft. In contrast, the bass nearly shakes your speakers, reverberating, while the drumbeats are familiarly crisp and the keyboards producing a melodic sound. Here, Rosie demonstrates just how good a voice she has, singing the song much more thoughtfully, not resorting to forcing her vocal or roaring. It works and is highly effective, perfect for the lyrics. Occasionally, her voice soars, but she’s always in control. Backing vocalists subtly accompany her, their contribution much less on this track. When the track ends, I just wish that Rosie had included a couple of tracks like this on the album, as it really suits her voice and allows us to see another side of her, one that’s highly effective and quite beautiful.

After a very different sounding track, Take A Chance sees Rosie return to familiar territory with a track that combines R&B and Nu Soul. That lovely warm, familiar sound of crackling vinyl opens the track, before piano, synths and bass enter accompanying Rosie’s deep and soulful voice. Immediately, the sweet, tight harmonies of the backing vocalists enter. Here, Rosie’s voice is deeper, full of charisma and quite a contrast to the backing vocalists. Behind her, one of the best arrangement on the album unfolds, thanks to the combination of piano, bass and crisp beats. During the track, Rosie offers words of advice to the listener, the gist of which is that we all need to take a chance in life. One thing I don’t like about the track is when delay is used on her vocal. It would be okay if it lasted briefly, but lasts to long and becomes tiresome. As the track progresses, her voice is dynamic and full of energy as it soars powerfully. All things taken into consideration, this is another good track, thanks to one of the best arrangements on the album, and a dynamic, passion and powerful vocal from Rosie. One word of advice though, in the future, use effects sparingly, sometimes, less is more.

Welcome To My World closes with Sudden Moves another slower track, one that sees Rosie give a much more gentle and thoughtful vocal. This track has much in common with I Do, and allows us to see a bit more of the “other side” of Rosie Gaines. The track opens with the beefiest of bass lines, before spacey keyboards enters accompanying a much more gentle vocal from Rosie. Straight away, the track has a much looser sound, perfect for Rosie to sing the song emotively. Behind her, the arrangement reverberates, almost shimmering. It’s the perfect backdrop for her vocal, slow, moody and quite thoughtful. Later in the track her voice soars, but she always remains in control, never overdoing things. Instead, there’s a jazz influence in her vocal, which again, demonstrates both her versatility and talent as a vocalists. Although quite different from the majority of tracks on the album, this quite beautiful and tender song is the perfect way to end the album. Quite simply, it’s an outstanding track, one of the album’s highlights.

Having spent some time listening again to this album, I’ve not really changed my opinion of it. The album features the nine songs I’ve reviewed plus a remix of Sun Moon, her chart and club hit Closer Than Close and a cover of The Beatles’ Yesterday. Of the nine songs, there are seven that I’d best describe as a combination of Nu Soul and R&B plus two quite beautiful slow songs. One thing I will say, is that sometimes, the arrangements are quite similar, almost formulaic. This isn’t just on this album, but albums by similar artists. It’s alway a combination of crisp, crunchy drumbeats, keyboards, synths and bass. I like this combination, but many people find it too repetitive. On this album it works well, and the addition of the backing vocalists really helps. Their voices are both sweet and soulful, and sometimes, provide the perfect contrast to Rosie’s much stronger voice. Together, they work well, and the interplay between them is quite masterful. Like I said earlier in this article, I’d like to see Rosie Gaines singing in front of a much more traditional band, instead of the what features on this album. She’s blessed with an incredible voice, one that’s laden with emotion and passion. During each song she gives everything, delivering the lyrics perfectly, bringing them to life with her energy and passion. This is what I like about this album. It features some great music, from a singer who deserves much more success than she has had as a solo artist. So, of you’ve never heard of Rosie Gaines, why not look out for a copy of Welcome To My World, and you’ll hear a voice that once duetted with Prince. Standout Tracks: Welcome To My World, Sun Moon, I Do and Sudden Moves.

ROSIE GAINES-WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKaXcQiwIL4