Rachel Epp - Rosary

Rachel Epp – Rosary
2010, Rachel Epp

Rachel Epp grew up a farm girl, with the seeds of country and folk music sewn into her musical soul.  Artists such as Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin and Kathleen Edwards taught her what great songwriting is, and Epps applied these influences into the making of her own style.  The result is compelling; a storytelling style of song craft that is deeply personal and full of a vibrant intensity that never weighs too heavily on the listen.  Rachel Epp’s sophomore effort, Rosary, builds on her ability to use words to paint pictures that nearly come alive.

Epp kicks things off with “Ghost in the Graveyard”, an ode to young love full of summer nights and endless dreams.  With a radio-ready chorus and a sweet, instantly likeable voice, Epp makes a great first impression.  “East of the River” explores the dichotomy of being comfortable with one person but wanting more.  The demarcation here is New York’s East River, and the two sides are different worlds with different realities.  Epp brings out the beauty of where she wants to be and the indecision that accompanies it in a lush arrangement that wraps around you and pulls you into the story.  “Virginia” has a more plaintive feel, an ode to the transient feel of home once you’ve found a life elsewhere.  The full acoustic-electric arrangement is comfortable even as it explores emotional nooks and crannies that are often less so.

“Beautiful Like This” is full of melancholy memories of happy moments, and an awareness that tomorrow’s memories might be much the same.  It’s a beautiful reminiscence of now, full of an understanding that life is fleeting and memory, in the end, is all we are left with.  Rachel Epp writes much deeper than you might first assume, and that is never clearer than in this moment.  Rosary bows with “Wasted”, a country-tinged number that shows off Epp’s voice in its lonely beauty.  The straight-forward singer/songwriter style is enhanced by Epp’s flowing melancholy and darkly sweet arrangements.

Rachel Epp mesmerizes with doses of beauty and melancholy on Rosary.  Epp surprises you; wrapping you up in her stories with a voice that lulls and a sense of imagery that is sublime.  Rosary is not to be missed.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.rachelepp.com.