Rating:   10 Ratings     12345  

Rosie Thomas These Friends of Mine Nettwerk Records

      These Friends of Mine could not be a more fitting title for the fourth album released from this Seattle-raised singer-songwriter who wants to do nothing more than her simple affirmation of “I just want to entertain people”. And with that declaration she does so in a sleepy sort of way with ease and simplicity. With uncomplicated acoustics and straightforward piano playing, she captures a whimsical, almost child-like essence with each folk-laden song.

      Her aspiration of wanting to entertain people started to blossom by the simple feat of lending vocals to her friends’ Damien Jurat’s album “Ghost of David’. Having done that, Sub Pop Records regarded what they heard and offered to sign her to their label. With the release of three albums she gained a national audience and blessed recognition. But along with the coveted notice came the price of having deadlines and pressure to produce something that seemed almost inorganic and forced. Needing advice and guidance on direction Rosie turned to Sufjan Stevens, her friend and extremely talented tour mate.

      The idea behind what they were planning was to come together – as friends – to produce something that had no deadlines, expectations, or even direction. What resulted was a triad recording process of on-and-off again sessions over two years between Rosie Thomas, Sufjan Stevens, and Denison Witmer. A makeshift studio of sorts was set up by way of a couple of microphone in various rooms of Sufjan’s home. The idea was to create an environment of a simple, healthy creative process – the result, These Friends of Mine.

      The album starts out with “If This City Never Sleeps” and sets the tone for pretty much the entire CD – slow and soft in delivery, void of any sort of building momentum but peaceful in nature. In the liner notes, Rosie states she wrote this opening song while in New York, feeling broken hearted and having vivid dreams of love and marriage.

      “The One I Love” is a cover of the fiery REM tune that could actually be construed as an anti-love song with the lyrics “a simple prop to occupy my time”. Apparently Sufjan played this ballad almost every night while on a European tour and always prefaced the song with “this one goes out to the one I love”. The song is completely restructured in a simple and almost emotionless way, but pleasing to hear nonetheless.

      The highlight of the album is “Say Hello.” A dreamy melody about when a boy meets a girl. Sufjan does a smashing job on back up vocals and makes a very endearing impression on the listener. They recorded the song in one, maybe two tries and what resulted is something graceful and well-formed.

      This album is not something you’ll want to pull out at a party, or when you feel like dancing the night away. It’s something you’ll listen to when it’s raining outside, you’re watering your garden or crocheting a cuddly blanket for a new born baby. That may sound harsh, but it’s not intended to be. It’s a relaxing, sleepy album that could be pleasant accompaniment to a variety of daily tasks. Perhaps one of the most charming appeals to this record is the banter and recorded conversations between the musicians. It sounds authentic and devoid of feigned or false bravado with a sweet nature and an idea of them coming together, as friends - just like they intended to do.

-Christine Beals 06/21/07