Rose Carleo
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Rose Carleo

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | INDIE

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | INDIE
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"Rose Carleo – ‘That Season Again'"

Rose Carleo – ‘That Season Again'


It’s almost summer, and ‘That Season Again’, the sizzling preview single from Rose Carleo’s second album, Life Gets in the Way, is set to ignite the country charts. The song captures the steamy heat, passion and recklessness of a tropical summer. It was written by Rose and Golden Guitar-winning singer/songwriter Drew McAlister, and presents some electrifying playing and of course Rose’s trademark smoldering vocals. Life Gets in the Way, due for release in November, was co-produced by Rose, Michael Flanders and Robert Mackay, and recorded in Nashville and Australia. The album features 12 hot new tracks, including several written by Rose, who is rapidly becoming one of Australian country music’s most admired vocalists and performers, as well as an extremely accomplished songwriter.


- Rose Carleo - 1st Radio single - November 2010


"Rose Carleo – Press Release – July 2010"

Rose Carleo – Press Release – July 2010



Rose Carleo’s debut album 'Everything I Need' marked her as one of the brightest new stars in Australian country music, also earning her a finalist berth in the CMAA Golden Guitar Awards.

Over the past few years she’s consolidated her position, and is now poised to take the music industry’s collective breath away again with her second release 'Life Gets In The Way', which she will co-produce with The Bobkatz’ and Pacific International Music’s Rob MacKay & Nashville based Michael Flanders and release towards the end of 2010.


A sneak preview of some of the tracks she’s written for the album indicate that it’s going to be something pretty amazing – keep your eyes and ears peeled for some great music with Rose’s trademark powerhouse vocals and memorable songs.


www.rosecarleo.com
- Rose Carleo


"Rose Coloured Spectacular"

It is always a thrill to see a new performer take the stage and make a half-hearted audience sit up, shut up, and take notice. That is the mark of a commanding singer, and I saw Rose Carleo deliver just such a showstopper earlier this year. Her voice is a big asset. It is sultry, tone-perfect and powerful. It is the voice of a no-nonsense woman with a can-do attitude to life, and no illusions about what she wants out of it.

'Everything I Need' is the end product of the yearning that yanked Rose Carleo out of her home in WA – the burning desire to give a solo career in music everything she had, or forever regret a failure to follow her dream.

Rose packed up her WA life lock stock and barrel, moved to the Gold Coast hinterland, scouted herself enough gigs to survive, found out who was who and what was what, and instigated the BIG plan. She wrote non-stop, and co-wrote with anyone who let her get a foot in their door, and has writing credits on ten of the twelve tracks on 'Everything I Need'.

With admirable deter-mination, she scrimped to finance her own album, engaged Brendan Radford to produce the project, ultimately recorded with Jeff McCormack as engineer, and spared no expense on players; employing a top-shelf team of muso heavyweights.

'Everything I Need' is a solid and most impressive first offering. It boasts a maturity and cohesiveness uncommon in debut albums. A deft tapestry of multi-textures of a life set to words and music, that is both deeply personal and utterly familiar to anyone who has “gone a few rounds” in the contest of life.

There are outstanding songs, but the overall calibre of storytelling is the winning feature of the work.
Compelling grown-up lyrics that naturally ebb and flow without artifice, managing to canvas intimate themes of love and loss without going over old ground.

Rose’s writing style is conversational yet uncomprom-ising; it is no-holds barred, honest and gritty.
This charming woman writes with her rose-coloured glasses and romantic notions polished clean by the checks and balances of the everyday dramas of real life-any topic is grist for the mill, and she processes it into fine art.

‘Scent of Another Woman’ and ‘Someone’s Second Best’ are strong and unapologetic songs without a trace of self-pity – usually an inevitable ingredient with titles like that! ‘Sometimes You Just Know’, a duet with Drew McCallister, is just beautiful and rates with great collaborations in any genre, and the swinging ‘I’ve Just Got the Blues’ sizzles with the roll of every rrrrr...
On ‘Its Not Me- Its You’, one could easily mistake the singer for a scorching Trisha Yearwood, and the acoustic nostalgia and understated simplicity of ‘Under My Skin’ mark it as probably the most countrified track on the album.

The cleverly crafted title track was written after an African friend recounted to Rose how, when he’d gone to America to study, it was the first time in his life he’d realised he was poor-until they told him he didn’t know; all he knew was he had everything he needed.

Finessing the emotional weight out of every line with practised ease is the forte of an excellent vocalist-free from having to worry about how it should best be sung, Rose seems able to shape every note and nuance for maximum relevance.

Rose described the collection of songs on the CD as being “about love, standing up for what you believe in, and self-preservation”.
I applaud the emergence of a significant new contender in the singer/songwriter stakes.

The eminently enjoyable Rose Carleo is an earthy and intelligent listen. 'Everything I Need' is as smooth and velvety as a Margaret River Merlot – and that bouquet won’t be the last for this artist – I believe she has many more wonderful stories to share and will be around for a long and lucrative career.

Country Update – August 2007
- Country Update Magazine - Australia - August 2007


"In full bloom"

It was a life-changing trip to Africa that led ROSE CARLEO to record her debut album, 'Everything I Need', after almost two decades in the music industry.

“That trip changed my whole perspective on life - it made me realise just how lucky I am, and how I have to make the most of every opportunity in my life. I’m aware of that every moment now,” Rose said.

The trip resulted in the album’s title track, 'Everything I Need', but it also led to Rose deciding to step into the unknown and record the album she’s always wanted to make.

“I was chatting to an African friend, Peter, who’d grown up there then gone to study in the USA and become a successful doctor. He simply said to me, ‘Rose, I didn’t know I was poor until they told me …’” Rose said.

“As soon as I heard those words I told him to stop while I wrote them down - they affected me so profoundly. I suddenly understood what really matters - that it’s not what you have but who and what you are inside that counts.

“Through everything, Peter never lost sight of who he is and where he belongs. We all need to follow that example.”

It’s that universal human experience which Rose has explored in such a powerful and perceptive way on 'Everything I Need'. She set out to put together a strong songwriting team to create songs about real people and real emotions - things we all feel as flawed and vulnerable human beings.

With the help of writers like ALLAN CASWELL, DREW MCALISTER, MICHAEL FIX, GEOFF BURTON, BRENDAN RADFORD, CATHY CARR, CASEY WATT and PIPPA GARNER, Rose has come up with 12 amazing original songs, 10 of which she co-wrote.

This is an album with both style and substance, an album written and sung by a real woman who’s experienced a whole lot of life.

“I’ve been through a fair bit in my life. My mum became ill when I was very young, and I spent a lot of my childhood looking after her. I had to grow up fast, and I guess I experienced things early on that many people never do. Because of that, I’m grounded way beyond my years, and have a real appreciation of and respect for life,” Rose said.
“But through all those years, Mum really encouraged me to pursue my dreams. She passed away when I was only 19, and in a way this album is for her.”

Rose explores the complexities of love and loss on songs like the evocative 'Scent of Another Woman' — a track that’s hard to forget — together with 'Eyes Don’t Lie', the raw 'Someone’s Second Best', and the gutsy 'It’s Not Me It’s You'.

These are far from being songs about being left behind. Instead, they are contemporary tales of taking control, of accepting that things aren’t always what you hoped, and moving on.
“When I’m writing songs, I look for catalysts - maybe things that have happened to me, but often stuff I’ve observed in other people’s lives. The crucial thing is to find a universal message in the song, something everyone can relate to,” Rose said.
That’s the message of the first single, '’Til I Find Me Again', co-written with Golden Guitar winner Drew McAlister.

Drew also joins Rose for a sublime duet on Sometimes You Just Know (which he wrote with Allan Caswell), that Rose describes as one of the best love songs she’s ever heard. It’s also one of the most exquisite blendings of voices heard for a long time.

Other highlights include the sensational bluegrass track 'Do You Ever Think About Me?' the funky 'I’ve Just Got The Blues' and the exquisite 'Under My Skin'.
On songs like these, Rose demonstrates that she has a huge breadth of musical talent, able to express the most subtle emotions on 'Under My Skin', capable of great musical understanding on 'Do You Ever Think About Me?', and able to really belt out the blues on 'I’ve Just Got The Blues'.
Another wonderful track is 'Some Kind Of Miracle', celebrating the sheer joy and exhilaration of new love.

“I see 'Everything I Need' as a really positive album, even though it explores a wide range of emotions,” Rose said.
“It’s about taking control and living live to the fullest - about making the most of where you are and what you have.”

Rose launched 'Everything I Need' in Perth in July, followed by an industry launch at Brisbane’s Chic Boutique bar. The official public launch will take place at this year’s Gympie Muster, where she’ll appear on Main Stage for the first time, as well as performing several other shows.




- Capital News August 2007 - By Susan Jarvis


Discography

EP 'Rose Carleo' released January 2006

Debut Album 'Everything I Need' released July 2007

2nd Album - "Life Gets in the Way" released 13th December 2010

Video Clips:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6klV9GV7R1I - 'Til I Find Me Again' (2007)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYGq0_c6xak&feature=related - 'Its Not Me Its You' (2007)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlK2oc7x_IA&feature=related - 'That Season Again' (2010)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygSTkdtr7Yg&feature=related - 'Runaway Heart' (2011)

Photos

Bio

Rose Carleo laughs at the title of her new album, Life Gets in the Way, because it has been that life – with its many highs and lows, joys and sorrows – that’s made her such a perceptive songwriter.

“I always draw from personal experience when I’m writing, but I think the most important thing as a songwriter is to make those emotions and stories universal, so that they connect with everyone who hears the songs,” Rose said.

“I’ve been through a lot in my life, but there is always a positive side to every difficult experience – you emerge a much stronger and more understanding person. The important thing is to embrace life, to live every moment and appreciate its richness and diversity.”

And that is exactly what the songs on Life Gets in the Way do. From the title track, which perfectly captures Rose’s philosophy of seizing the moment, to the tender mother and daughter chat of “Live to Love Another Day” and the powerful “Break the Chain”, Rose is able to access and communicate those powerful emotions that make the world go around.

But it isn’t only sadness and heartbreak that inspire Rose. Songs such as the steamy, evocative “That Season Again” and the joyful, no-holds-barred “Like a Mustang” capture the other extreme of emotion, the sheer joy of living.

“My songs are raw, earthy and emotional – but most of all they’re real. They come from a very heartfelt place, and I think that comes across on the album,” Rose said.

“For me, the song is the boss – it dictates the recording, the performance. Whether I’ve written a song or not, the really important thing is that it makes a connection with both me, and those who are listening to it.”

These are the songs of a woman who’s lived life, experienced its joys and disappointments and been able to assimilate the lessons she’s learnt.

“I have no regrets about not being 18 years old and a size 8 – to me, the richness of a life lived is priceless. I really value everything I’ve experienced in my life, because it has made me who I am. Like everyone, I keep evolving, and so does my music,” Rose said.

“I’m so proud of this album – of the songs, the production and the way it holds together. It is very much me, and I’m more comfortable in my own skin than I’ve ever been.”

Rose’s musical career began back in Western Australia, when her mother Mary — a respected music promoter — challenged her to take to the stage. Sadly, Mary passed away when Rose was still a teenager, but she’s remained her daughter’s inspiration. In fact, “Break the Chain” is a celebration of not only Mary but all the other strong women in Rose’s family.

“I’ve been through a fair bit in my life. My mum became ill when I was very young, and I spent a lot of my childhood looking after her. I had to grow up fast, and I guess I experienced things early on that many people never do. Because of that, I have a real appreciation of and respect for life,” Rose said.

In 2007, Rose released her debut album, Everything I Need. Since then, she’s been named the Silver Medallion winner for Best New Talent at theQueensland Gold Medallion Awards and took out the 2008 TIARA Award for Vocal Collaboration with friend and songwriting partner Drew McAlister. Drew and Rose cowrote six of the twelve tracks on Life Gets in the Way.

Rose and Drew were also finalists in the Vocal Collaboration section of the 2008 CMAA Awards, and Rose has featured in the finals of the Female Vocal sections of the 2008 and 2009 Southern Stars Independent Country Music Awards and the 2009 TIARA Awards. She was also a finalist in the 2008 TSA Songwriting Awards.

Over the past three years, Rose has performed at most of Australia’s major country music festivals, including the Gympie Muster, Mud Bulls and Music, Mildura, Urban Country and Boyup Brook, and has supported some of Australia’s leading country artists, amongst them Beccy Cole, Adam Brand and McAlister Kemp.

Life Gets in the Way was recorded in Nashville and on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and was coproduced by Rose, Robert Mackay and Michael Flanders. Apart from Rose and Drew, the album features a stellar cast of songwriters, including Anthony Snape, Allan Caswell, Phil Barton, Matt Scullion, Tamara Stewart and Mike Carr.