Album Preview
Haroula Rose: Here the Blue River
It is hard enough to write a good pop song, but to make it sound like it is coming from a convincing emotional place, invested with thoughtfulness and artistry, well, that's a whole other kettle of fish! Musician and filmmaker Haroula Rose attacks this problem with delicate gusto on her sophomore album, Here the Blue River, creating a balanced mix of compelling storytelling and memorable melodies.
The LA-based artist has each foot firmly planted in the film & music worlds, having served as a producer on the award-winning 2013 film, Fruitvale Station, as well as having contributed music to numerous TV shows, from "How I Met Your Mother" to "American Horror Story, not to mention her own recordings spread over a previous album, a pair of EPs and assorted singles. But Here the Blue River represents a strong step forward with her music career, matching intelligent and personal songcraft with savvy folk-rock touches and detail-work that resemble that of Suzanne Vega & Laura Veirs.
On this new record, she takes particular inspiration from literary sources, from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Pablo Neruda & Bonnie Jo Campell, to tales from her family's Greek background. Rose says: "Making this record was an adventure, a journey that took several cities and collaborators over time. It was a fun and interesting journey evolving from my former album. I wanted it to feel cinematic and for people listening to it to be able to take a trip themselves while hearing it, so there's a lot of space to do that I hope. It was inspired by a lot of books I was reading, meditations on growing up and becoming more of who we are as we move along in life, and onward towards whatever comes thereafter."
Photo Credit: Javiera Estrada