Customer Reviews

Nanahally River

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY. I WAS COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY BY THIS CD. I COULD ALMOST FEEL THE ARTISTS PRESENCE IN MY HEART AS I LISTENED. SO MANY NEW ARTIST HAVE TRIED TO WRITE SONGS ABOUT FAMILY AND PERSONAL EXPIERIENCE BUT NONE I HAVE HEARD COMPAIRS TO CHELLE ROSE. I LOOK FOR THESE SONGS TO BE ON THE RADIO VERY SOON NATION WIDE. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ALBUM.

THIS CD IS GREAT.... ALL MY FRIENDS HAD TO HAVE ONE ONCE THEY HEARD IT.... THERE ARE SO MANY SONGS ON THIS CD THAT A PERSON CAN RELATE TO IN THEIR OWN LIFE. THIS CD IS TRUE TO LIFE.

These tales are not restricted to what we would normally expect in the genre of country/folk music. This music denotes above average songwriting with fresh, surprising insights and carries a truth within it like a pair of old, worn shoes that have walked many a mile and seen many a sight. Chelle Rose possesses a pure, clear voice that is evocative of many a great vocalists, yet not easily compared to anyone in particular. Throughout the 14 cuts on this album we are given a peek inside Chelle Rose's world and introduced to a wide variety of characters and situations that make the songs come to life, and give the listener a good idea of what went on in these people's common lives as they work, love, cry and laugh.

Singer-songwriter Chelle Rose is a blend of the best rootsywork of Lucinda Williams, Bobbie Gentry and Kate Campbell... The fourteen songs on this home-produced set are backwoods tales of everyday people: their lives, their loves, their hardships and their joys. They are a cohesive lot, with the majority sounding very traditional - yet with an updated, current bent. The title tune, the album's centrepiece, is based on Chelle's grandparents courting days. Instrumentally this is hillbilly tinged with acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin and bass dulcimer providing the folksy accompaniment. Equally as compelling is Young Wild And Free with a frailing banjo carrying the rhythm. The understated production puts the focus squarely on the story in the lyric, and Chelle's vocal is a delight, mostly because she doesn't strain to sound soulful. She simply lets it happen naturally. Other goodies on a deeply-felt record includes the pained Her Whole Life, the droning Something Just For You and the thoughtful Family. At times, it is a little like eavesdropping on this woman's innermost thoughts and memories, and realising that they are not too different to your own. 3 1/2 Stars!

This is a wide ranging CD covering a lot of ground. The music is sometimes rock and sometimes country. Comparisons with Neil Young have to be made. On the first couple of tracks the drumming could be lifted straight off Mirrorball. On 'Something just for you' a vocoder is used, which is similar to Trans. 'Family' owes a lot to Already One from Comes a Time.The guitar on 'Little Reasons Why' sounds like Motorcycle Mama. Having said that this CD stands squarely on its own two feet. The most common theme is hard times; as a kid and as a grown up woman.The CD starts with 'Daddy I'm Still Here', a rocker with a feedback drenched guitar oscillating between major and minor. The theme is the missing father. 'Her Whole Life' has good harmonica playing and is about a 50 year old woman whose husband walks out. Perhaps if I'd lost a little weight, she muses. 'God Help the Man' has a nice Hammond Organ, and is about a woman at the end of her tether, asking God to intervene. 'Nanahally River' has a pretty mandolin, and is an old fashioned story of young romance. 'Goodbye' has some nice slide guitar and is about making the break. 'Little Reasons Why' has the woman being strong at long last. "You can't control me, and you sure can't console me" she sings. 'Resolution' is a good pop song. The woman wants the man to sort out his problems so they can stay together. 'Something Just For You' has a 60's feel with the odd Russian melody thrown in. It's to encourage those who can't feel good about themselves. 'Young Wild and Free' is about a young love story in which eventually the young man is drowned. In keeping with the theme the guitar work gets pretty heavy. I know Chelle and I know that 'Family' is her song; where she's at at the moment. 'Rainin' on my Heart' is a duet revealing relationship problems, with no real resolution. 'Move on' is about the other woman taking her man. Is there any hope for the future, she wonders. 'Tribute to Eleanor Ann' is about Chelle's grandma who brought her up. It's very touching with a nice tune and nice harmonies, and some beautiful slide guitar. She must have been a great person. Finally there's 'Mystery Road.' Musically this is probably the most satisfying composition. This is Chelle giving words of encouragement from her own experience."Don't give up on your dreams, don't give up on what you think life means. Take the mystery road for the long haul." There is a Mystery Road, but I can think of a couple of dreams that were best given up.

I've had this CD awhile, and really haven't known what to say about it. And that doesn't mean I have negative things...far from it. Actually, this is one of the best independent CDs I've ever heard and one of the best CDs I've heard this year. What has kept me from writing about it until now has been the overwhelming diversity Rose shows as a writer. How does one classify it? She's a full-blown major league talent waiting to be signed to a major label. Frankly, I see very few female singer/songwriters in her league. Now, that may seem like an overstatement to some - so be it. This CD is a moving personal diary with stunning musical passages that take the listener on nothing less than a trip through every genre without once ever seeming forced. From the stunning, chill-inducing "Daddy I'm Still Here" through the sweet acoustic "God Help the Man" and all the way to the searching finale, "Mystery Road," I was reminded of such genre-bending classics as "Dreamboat Annie" and "Wrecking Ball," Oh, and did I mention she's from Knoxville and enlisted some of her East Tennessee buddies to help? As far as I'm concerned, Chelle Rose's new CD is thought provoking, moving and thoroughly Tennessean - an original uncompromised talent.

My chin fell to the floor the first time I hear this cd. I thought "is this the same Chelle Rose I know??", and it is! The whole cd is great, very touching and soulful, but my favorite is "Young, Wild, and Free"...it really touches my heart.

Hard to believe anybody from good old LC, TN, has this kind of talent in them, but Chelle certainly does!!! Good luck, Chelle!!

It is tempting as a music writer to get jaded. So many tapes and CDs cross my desk that a lot of good music tends to get lost while wading through songs filled with cliches and almost-talent. But every once in a while something so honest and heartfelt gets through that it cannot be resisted or forgotten. The kind of giving of the soul that makes my neck hairs stand up like Muddy Waters, Hank Williams or Aaron Neville did the first time I stumbled across their music. This collection of songs did that to me. Music born of pain and hurt but presented with the spirit of love and sacrifice that cannot be denied. This music speaks to my heart and compels me to tell you about it, to pray it gets heard. Rose has generously offered up her soul on this record and plaintive, heartfelt country songs like Daddy, I'm Still Here, Family and Mystery Road are here just waiting to sooth broken hearts and shattered spirits. If you like country music, the kind made from tears, despair, boundless love, willow trees and fields of green green grass (steel guitars and banjos don't hurt either) then this is what I recommend. This album is one of the reasons I became a music writer!

"By the time she got to the final song, the powerful Shady Grove, she was performing better than on her new debut album. Her songs are very personal, reflecting her own childhood in East Tennessee and the grandparents who brought her up, painting a very graphic picture of life below the Mason-Dixon line;a life far removed from Clifton on a wet and windy January night."

"Chelle Rose writes and sings straight from the source and soul of country music. The Knoxville native's debut CD, Nanahally River, steers country back to its shady, summery home and its origins as soulful, gritty folktales that are as immediate and violently emotional as blues or jazz. Rather than attempting this through retro-traditionalist fare, Rose looks forward, punching out plain-spoken, gritty stuff with the Outlaws' verve and Loretta's easy grace. She draws on her East Tennessee roots and her family history, while incorporating an alt-country penchant for distortion and strong backbeats. Her ballads are sweet and tinged with Appalachia and her rockers are, well, rockers. She's by turns raucous and sedate, but always straightforward in her songwriting. Her recent radio success in the UK and Europe are hopeful signs of growing momentum. When compared to the dishonest, emotionless dreck belted out by most major-label country sirens, Rose's work has the potential to be as long-lasting and meaningful as Emmylou or Patsy."