MUSIC REVIEW: LILY ROSE – Stronger Than I Am EP

Label: Big Loud Records / Back Blocks Music and Republic Records

Release Date: October 1, 2021

Rating: 100%

Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur

It has been a week of work, shows, and new music and happy to be closing it out with the EP release from Lily Rose, who dropped seven awesome tracks that are all killer and no filler.  Disc opener “Villain” is a cool swirl of country, pop, and even a little R&B tossed in for good measure.  Lily’s vocals are crisp and perfectly deliver the lyric with precision and texture that let you feel every emotion in the words.  The song ends before you are ready for it to be over.  “Stronger Than I Am” is another song that sees Rose putting it all out there for us to relate to.  The guitars are awesome and help guide the melody while her vocal takes us to the hurt of relationships gone wrong while maintaining that we are stronger than we know, even when all seems lost.  “I Don’t Smoke” has a cool vibe woven into the track from the first note and swirls perfectly for the songs three minutes.  The vocal is a pop / R&B / Country hybrid that recalls the fun of the opening track.  The lyric and melody are catchy and engaging, begging you to join in even when you don’t know the words.  “Remind Me Of You” is one of the tracks I go back to time and time again.  The groove is awesome and the musical component is contagious.  Lily knocked it out of the park with this one; the vocal and music swirl perfectly in the mix and create a vibe that gets you moving in your seat just before the chorus hits and you find yourself singing along.  “Know My Way Around” is another one that has a cool groove and throws a lot of country swagger on top of the track.  This is one of the lone tracks that is about the next step after the heartbreak or loss of a relationship that seems to permeate most of the other tracks.  The vocal is a great combination of swoon and grit, showcasing the emotion in the lyric.  “Breakin’ In” is the closest to straight country on the disc, but it fits within the structure of the EP once the chorus hits and we get a pop / country hybrid that is woven throughout most of the tracks and perfectly takes us to the final track.  Disc closer “Whole Lotta Hometowns” is a feel good song that leans more on cherished memories of youth and home and gives us a soft place to land.  This one is built for speed… I can picture either a venue full of people dancing where they stand weaving in unison or sitting in a car and opening up the throttle a bit singing along with your hand out the window in the wind.  If this EP is any indication, I cannot wait to see what comes next sonically from Lily Rose.

Tracklisting: Villain – Stronger Than I Am – I Don’t Smoke – Remind Me Of You – Know My Way Around – Breakin’ In – Whole Lotta Hometowns

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Category: CD Reviews