Baby Rose - “All To Myself”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 9; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…Celeste, Yola, Nina Simone

Employing one of the richest pure vocals of SXSW this year, Baby Rose harkens back to R&B greats on her lushly produced debut LP To Myself. Singing over bluesy and country-tinged instrumentation, Baby Rose is closer to a classic soul revue than her experimentally minded peers, and that’s plenty as the focus keeps going back to the emerging Atlanta artist’s voice. Most comfortable in a low, textured space, Baby Rose is able to break out on a dime too, consistently singing with the upmost pain and passion. It makes her ballads reach right for the tear ducts and her grooving material (rarely moving quicker that a mid-tempo funk/soul rhythm) turn into an equally stirring performance. It’s a timeless sound and one that resonates with jazz-based and even some trippier soundscapes to draw Baby Rose into more current streams. Inviting the listener into such an intimate space gives Baby Rose’s music vulnerability within its inherent power, a beautiful presentation and a complete record front to back. (Kevin McStravick)