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By: Dennis Cook
Slip on Rise & Shine and you'll swear you're hearing a bonafide late '60s classic, some pure, deliriously pleasurable nugget unearthed by the same vinyl stroking dork that turned you onto the Beau Brummels or Moby Grape. One has zero doubt Apple Records would have snapped up The Rosewood Thieves right after hearing the forward rushing, piano driven joy of "Silver Gun" and the irresistible shuffling pop drift of "She Don't Mind The Rain." Those opening salvos, and everything that follows, have the compact perfection of the very best popular music – utterly enjoyable from the start but given enough tweaks and modulations to keep our ears constantly pricked, a few rough edges in line readings and flashing guitar outbursts, but always in service of something fully fleshed and resonantly true.
Toss this on shuffle with Badfinger's Straight Up and The Beatles' White Album and you'll hear a grand continuity in the Thieves' work. But don't chalk this up as some sort of retro thang – this band draws from the same creative stream as the greats cited, and pours those living waters all over songs that are outfitted and performed with utmost care. Rise & Shine is the kind of album you listen to over and over, straining along with their passionate cries and sighing "Oh, girl" with as much un-sanded emotion as Erick Jordan. From the oddly spinning carnival of "Fair Lights Flashing" to the dancing-in-your-seat delight of "Junkyard Julie," there's just so much to just plain enjoy here. Each cut hides tiny surprises – a wicked bridge, a crazy organ swell, a gorgeous, succinct guitar solo or a succulent harmony that makes your skin tingle – and each time you go back you'll find more. Their imagination is saturated into the soil of each tune; it doesn't stand out and demand attention, consistently serving the song's needs, accentuating the positive everywhere.
If this sounds like gushing it is. The Rosewood Thieves are what popular rock might have turned out like if the Lennon-McCartney dyad had truly conquered the airwaves. This is music you fall in love with, dancing alone in your bedroom as the speakers blast sunshine all over you, singing along to every word and making them your own, your daily dramas given insight as you're lifted away from them through the power of great music.
Rise & Shine is available on iTunes and directly from the band at shows or by mail.
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