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Sep 23, 2020 Web Exclusive By Candace McDuffie

On her debut album, To Myself, 26-year-old songstress Baby Rose uses her powerhouse vocals to convey emotion in a chilling but captivating way. From beginning to end, the project is saturated in soulful rhythms and mind-blowing melodic hooks. Opening track “Sold Out” is a stirring and brutal ballad about navigating heartbreak.

“Ragrets” continues to lean in this direction thematically but with a less sonically dramatic approach. Still, Baby Rose uses her pen to spell out the disappointment and hurt: “You said you love me then you tore me apart/My head’s filled with ragrets in the dark/My head’s filled with ragrets in the dark/Somebody shine a light on me.”

On “Pressure,” she experiments with the haunting capabilities of her voice while on “Mortal,” she reels it in with a slowburn of a listen. The closest we come to a title track is the confessional is “All to Myself,” in which her loneliness has reached self-professed new heights as alcohol serves as a welcome distraction from the pain.

The chic yet pulsating nature of “Artifacts” is a pleasant diversion from the course To Myself has eagerly charted. The deep bluesy rebellion Baby Rose effortlessly employs shines bright on the single “Marmot,” where she marvelously revels in her sultriness. “Damn” feels like a spontaneous reckoning of an agonizing past despite all efforts to trying to overcome it.

The last song on To Myself, “August 5th” serves as a reflective ode to somber birthday traditions such as drinking at 17 and flunking out of college in 20s. Despite all of the obstacles—and Baby Rose being her own worst enemy at times—the song serves as the ultimate victory lap honoring all of her achievements. Although it’s appropriate to compare her artistry to the likes of the late Amy Winehouse and Margie Hendrix (of The Raelettes), it does the immensely talented singer a disservice by assuming she’s trying to emulate them. Baby Rose is carving out her own path—and is quickly becoming a legend in the making. (www.babyrose.com)

Author rating: 8.5/10