Whitney Rose Readies New Album, ‘We Still Go to Rodeos,’ for Spring 2020
Texas-based artist Whitney Rose announced plans for a new studio album on Thursday (Feb. 6), called We Still Go to Rodeos. Due out April 24, the singer says the new project will reflect her expansive, dynamic brand of country music and the eclectic list of muses that inspired her while she was making the record.
In keeping with those omnivorous tastes, the singer tapped producer Paul Kolderie -- who has worked with the likes of Pixies, Morphine and Radiohead - to create her project. However, Rose notes that the album doesn't so much represent a departure from her musical style as it does an expanded, more nuanced excavation into what that style means and what it can do.
"I draw from a lot of influences, but I'd like to think there's a certain uniqueness in my work," Rose reflects in a press release. "I don't want to make the same album over and over again, and this one is no different. I'm not changing styles or redirecting my career as much as I'm expanding on avenues that I've explored previously."
As an example, she mentions an unlikely -- but apt -- country comparison that resonated particularly well with her. "Maybe it's because I heard Marty Stuart call Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers the best country band of all time and I got excited," she adds. "In any case, this record has some distinct differences in production style and instrumental focus from previous works, and I'm proud of the outcome."
Rose is uniquely positioned to define her own brand of country music: Her new album will come out on her own artist and management-run record label, MCG. The first song off the project, a cheating song with a twist, is called "Believe Me, Angela."
“‘Believe Me, Angela’ is a song about what can happen when two women don’t jump at the chance to hate each other, to put it bluntly,” Rose explains to Rolling Stone. "This isn’t exclusive to women of course, but it’s so common to place blame on the easiest party — not necessarily the party that logic would point to — when one gets hurt.
:When I started to write this ‘cheatin’ song’ it started out as more of a revenge tune but I just wasn’t feeling it. I changed lanes right then and there to make it about unity and compassion and immediately it felt better and the song came together quickly," she adds.
We Still Go to Rodeos follows Rose's 2017 offering, Rule 62. She is also the reigning Honky-Tonk Female winner at the Ameripolitan Music Awards.
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