There's something plaintive in the vocals of Rosali Middleman. The North Carolina-by-way-of-Philadelphia artist sings with a lot of heart, and the tunes on her Merge Records debut are nimble distillations of her perspective. Joined by David Nance and Mowed Sound, the music here on Bite Down is also robust enough to elevate this record into its own space, enough so that there's little chance this will get branded the work of yet another singer-songwriter.
"Rewind" has an ambling hook that suggests Mann and Rosanne Cash (a tiny bit), with Rosali letting the melody sort of wash over her as the tune unspools into a mass of guitars. This material is modestly pitched, yet full of yearning. The twang-y "Hills on Fire" earns a comparison to Emmylou Harris for Rosali to these ears, though Middleman's guitar is all Neil Young squall at times. While it's her voice that is going to earn her fans with this record, Rosali's playing is formidable and judiciously deployed on these numbers. And while there's a lot of heartfelt stuff here, the best numbers on Bite Down are ones like "My Kind" where Rosali cuts loose on guitar and the vocals sort of follow along with the same sort of yearning vibe.
Bite Down is a fairly engaging record. Rosali makes this material linger in the heart, and there's a mood here that -- for me at least -- drew in comparisons to artists as disparate as Linda Rondstadt, Richard Thompson, and Maria McKee. There's throwback charm here, yes, but Rosali Middleman is earning a place in that tradition on the strength of her songs, as well as her voice and guitar.
Bite Down by Rosali is out this week from Merge Records.
[Photo: Asia Harman]