Fledgling
(TVT)
by Jeff Fritz
Singer/songwriter/guitar player Eileen Rose pushes Fledgling full-tilt through a straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll album. When you listen to it 20 years from now, you’ll hear and probably think of it as epitomizing a musical style that helped define the turn of the century. This full-length debut release kicks in right away with that multi-dimensional-fuzztone-from-hell guitar sound that has become so popular with the radio-friendly post-grunge acts these days.
Rose’s voice soars clear and powerfully rich across the two opening tracks, one of which is the album’s single “Solomon’s Crown.” However, as she proves with “OCD,” her talent for twisting a melodic hook can also sometimes be a weakness insofar as the song gets stuck on the trademark line and possibly is prevented from developing in any further direction. This is a minor flaw though, in light of the rest of the disc which demonstrates a highly evolved song-crafting style that showcases the inventive talents of not only Rose, but also her co-writer, guitarist David Bull.
Another thing Fledgling has in a long list of things going for them – the well-articulated bass lines of Dave Bower whose instrument pronounces its tones with perfect diction. To be low and heavy sacrifices nothing in the realm of clarity on tunes like “Red Messiah,” my personal favorite from this collection, where the bass groove supports blistering wah-wah solos and an angry rail against an expectation of undeserved fealty.
Still, even with all the impressive musicianship found on this album, Fledgling remains a vocal showcase, and Rose sings with so much feeling that even on the more laid-back songs like “Cold Here Now” and “Tom Waits Crooning,” her voice always sounds as if it’s crouched purring in her throat, barely restrained and awaiting a chance to let fly. Luckily, this band lets fly again and again, right up through the very last track, “What If I’m Right,” a power piece with a chorus that stuck in my head for days, made my feet move, and got me feeling appropriately self-justified. I recommend you get a copy of this disc for a dose of the same.
