- Bryon Harris
Roslyn Moore - 'Hazy (A Desert Opera)'
Roslyn Moore is an up and coming artist with originality and who is earn a spot in your music library. Drawing influences from dark alt-pop, desert rock, sad-core, and trip hop, Roslyn's individuality shines through her music. Her latest album, ‘Hazy,’ does well to reach out to a variety of audiences while still showing what Roslyn’s music and style are all about. 'Hazy (A Desert Opera) has all the elements actually found in modern-day opera - it has surprising melodies, well-composed songs, suspense and drama, heart-ache and rebellion, life and death, performed by extremely emotive vocals and atmospheric sound-production.
The album starts off with the song “Malibu” which commences with a heart-pounding motif of crawling notes that come into a three chord progression with hints of desert-rock like influences. One of the distinguishing factors in Roslyn’s vocal style. In her song, “Malibu,” Roslyn’s vocals have a slight distortion adding an edgy quality to her music which is very effective. In addition, Roslyn adds layers of harmonies and vocal echoes which create an atmospheric mood that draws you in like a dream. The song melodies are alternative moving in and out of unexpected places. Laced with catchy lines like "Got my heart broken, but that's okay. Cause i'm still hoping for a better day And I'm in the blue skies of Malibu," Roslyn offers plenty to hold onto. “Malibu” is a great introduction to Roslyn’s album that will have listeners hooked like a novel you can't put down.
Next on the album is the song “The Burbs.” Kicking off the beginning of the song is a fantastic hook. Singing, “Out in the burbs, we do it right, yeah. We party right, yeah. The girls get it,” Roslyn lays down a great groove. This well-produced song is extremely infectious and can hold its own against other top 40 artists. The fun lyrics paired with a memorable melody make for a great chorus that fans of all genres will be able to sing and move along to. “The Burbs” is sure to be a crowd favorite from this album and shows Roslyn’s undeniable ability to appeal to a mass audience.
The title track of the album is "Hazy" is a picture-painting song about reaching the next level of "high." Hazy is a trip with a real psychedelic feel and lyrics that talk about hazy, spinning lights and a fear about where you are going as you reach for the top. The next song I’d like to mention from ‘Hazy’ is “Pretty Girls & Gin.” This song begins with a lovely, melodic guitar intro before Roslyn comes in, starting the first verse, "Baby, can you take me outside? I don't really care where we go 'cause I've been flirting with heaven, but tonight I want to wander around in hell." The verses feature only guitar and voice, which paired with the simple melody of the vocals does a great job to highlight the pure and clear timbre of Roslyn’s voice. “Pretty Girls & Gin” is a catchy and sad song that leaves a deep impact. It's about two people living like outlaws and surviving together. Roslyn has a brilliant way of capturing a moment with metaphor, "Can you take me to the Ferris wheel?"
The album seems to be leading to a fatal ending for the love hurt heroine as we arrive to the song "Suicide Note,"an emotional piece that talks honestly about depression and last words. Roslyn offers raw insight here on "trying to stay skinny and so fucking pretty" and "trying to stay perfect" for someone else. Here is a video of this brutally beautiful song:
Roslyn closes the album with a slower paced, emotional ballad, “Shampoo.” The duet between guitar and voice acts as a great ending for the album, fitting after the track “The End,” which featured more production. “Shampoo” pieces together a passionate, emotional story and delivers flawlessly with a great vocal performance. Roslyn takes into the most intimate place of love where the animal of love takes over and that place is our lover's scent which Roslyn sings about in "Shampoo."
Roslyn’s album ‘Hazy’ is very clear; it is an album that showcases the many strengths and talents of a true artist who has written original songs that creep into the most intimate places of the raw heart with great-production and lyrics that are not afraid of expressing honest content delivered by vocals that shimmer with emotion on every single note. Roslyn has just finished a mini tour and is beginning work on her next music project. Her music is currently available on Sound-cloud.