Rosie Lowe – ‘Lover, Other’ album review: a genre-defying journey
THE SKINNY: You can often tell the quality of an artist from their ability to adapt to various different styles, genres, and projects. With that in mind, Devon-born singer-songwriter Rosie Lowe has repeatedly proved her ability to move seamlessly between genres, going from indie electronica to soul-inspired vocal work, and even hints at the elusive world of jazz. Since first bursting onto the scene in 2013, the songwriter has worked prolifically to tear down genre barriers, and her latest record, Lover, Other, continues that noble quest.
On the newly unveiled album, Lowe wastes no time in showcasing her unique talents, with the first half of the album, in particular, darting disparately from one musical style to another. The opening track, for instance, creates a gentle, orchestral atmosphere, during which Lowe’s impressive vocal performance takes ultimate precedence. However, as the tracklisting continues, the songwriter embraces her usual influences of infectious beats and danceable electronica, interspersed with the odd the R&B influence here and there. It gets to a point during which the mood of the record changes so readily between tracks that it gives the impression of flicking through a car radio, searching for something.
While this makes for a pretty unique listening experience, the fact that most songs on this 15-track epic are only around two minutes in length means you rarely get a chance to sink into it before being jolted from one mood to another. On top of this, Lowe reverts from her inventive mix of musical styles to a repetitive cycle of R&B vocals overlaid by generic electronic beats as the journey continues. During the early part of the album, these tracks are pretty enjoyable, but as they become more common, the cracks in their construction begin to appear.
The context in which this album was made is an unavoidable aspect of Lover, Other. For starters, it is the first solo project Lowe has embarked upon since being signed as an independent artist back in 2020. As such, the record label – Blue Flowers – has granted her an incredible degree of freedom, particularly in terms of production. Lowe completed all the album’s production independently, and while her work on tracks like ‘Mood To Make Love’ is incredible, she tends to rely too heavily on cheap effects and gimmicks as the album progresses. For instance, nearly every song has this old-school tape hiss on it, which becomes incredibly grating, and the less said about the vocal effects on ‘Don’t Go’, the better.
For fans of: LIstening to old jazz records while gazing wistfully out the window and pretending to be a tortured artist because your parents won’t fund your spoken word project anymore.
A concluding comment from Ben’s housemate: “I don’t know whether she wants me to dance or to cry, but luckily I can do both – sometimes simultaneously.”
Lover, Other track by track:
Release date: August 16th | Producer: Rosie Lowe | Label: Blue Flowers
‘Sundown’: This 40-second intro helps to set a tone of gentle melancholy and self-reflection, in addition to the ethereal sound of Lowe, which will be expanded upon throughout the rest of the record. [3/5]
‘Mood To Make Love’: As is to be expected, the lyricism and performance of Lowe are excellent in this song, but it is the production that sets it apart. The gentle tape hiss that begins the song gives it a rough, DIY feel, contrasted beautifully with Lowe’s voice, which takes prevalence over everything in the final mix. [4/5]
‘In My Head’: Picking up the pace a bit, Lowe returns to the electronic influences which she is known for. At only two minutes long, there is not a lot of room for this track to develop, but it remains an enjoyable listening experience thanks largely to Lowe’s vocals. [3.5/5]
‘Bezerk’: Showcasing her unique ability to move through genres seamlessly, this song is somewhere between early hip-hop sampling and old-school jazz pop à la The Chordettes. A unique track that seems to become more infectious with every listen. [4/5]
‘There Goes The Light’: Slowing the tempo of the record down once again, Lowe is effortlessly cool on this laid-back, soul-inspired anthem, which shows the adaptability of the singer’s vocals. [3/5]
‘Walk In The Park’: Few artists could go from danceable electronica and hip-hop beats to an orchestral arrangement quite as easily as Rosie Lowe. The change in pace between virtually every track thus far helps to keep the record sounding fresh while maintaining a clear narrative. [3/5]
‘Something’: This is the longest track on Lover, Other, and it certainly does not waste its extended runtime. Imbued with an innate danceability, coupled with atmospheric jazz piano influences, Lowe is endlessly inventive on ‘Something’. [4/5]
‘Don’t Go’: Using various production techniques, including vocal layering and retro electronic voice filters, this track gives the impression of a strange post-apocalyptic Billie Holiday. It is not hugely offensive, but the voice filter does become grating after a few listens. [3/5]
‘In The Morning’: My heart goes out to anybody who bought this record on vinyl and, upon getting to this track, assumed there had been a pressing issue. The cuts, skips, and jumps that feature on the song sound like a scratched-up charity shop LP. [2.5/5]
‘Out Of You’: A melancholic track imbued with retro soul and jazz influences, the song is not dissimilar from efforts earlier on in the tracklisting. However, this song, in particular, is at risk of being overproduced. By this point, the constant tape hiss and strange interjections have become something of an annoyance. [2/5]
‘Gratitudes’: The wide variety of sounds featured on the first half of this record seems to have taken a backseat, as Lowe reverts back almost solely to vocal-led tracks backed by generic electronic beats. [2/5]
‘This Before’: Although the instrumentation of this track offers some change from the endless deluge of electronic beats, favouring a more classical jazz sound, its production is – once again – at risk of taking the song in an unnecessary direction. [2.5/5]
‘Lay Me’: At this point, it is worth reckoning with the idea that 15 songs is simply too long for an album such as this, where many of the tracks follow incredibly similar themes and compositions. The gentle beats and vocals are becoming pretty tiresome. [2/5]
‘Lover, Other’: Curiously, the album’s title track is closer to an interlude than a full song in its own right. The orchestral arrangement is commendable, but ultimately, there is little to be gained from this track. [2.5/5]
‘Sundown (Reprise)’: Taking us back to where we started, Lowe returns to the gentle, understated instrumentation of the album’s opener. It acts as a fitting bookend to the album, even if the narrative got a bit lost in the latter third of the tracklisting. [3.5/5]
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