‘Bite Down’ by Rosali
‘Bite Down’ by Rosali
Rosali Middleman, who drops her last name when stepping out musically, recalls the grit that myriad bands once used to distinguish alternative country from its mainstream counterpart. If that seems like a minor distinction 30 years after the alt-country renaissance, then Rosali’s fourth full-length, Bite Down, is a reminder that the difference still has meaning.
Accompanied by Mowed Sound—a.k.a. the David Nance Group, an Omaha crew that contributed so much to her previous album, 2021’s No Medium—Rosali generates dusty intensity that’s loose-limbed, not sloppy or unfocused. It’s easy to imagine her sharing a bill with Uncle Tupelo or Old 97’s.
The production, handled by Rosali and Mowed Sound guitarist James Schroeder, emphasizes the impression that the musicians were in one room when they were recording. A deft tempo shift here, a raggedly explosive solo there, and an off-kilter ending someplace else: all these indicate people sharply attentive to each other’s playing.
Vocally, Rosali holds the center with authority and with minimal dramatics. Not unlike Margo Timmins from Cowboy Junkies, she knows that lowering her voice will often gain more listener attention than raising it, and her knowledge turns the embers bright orange on a smoldering, twangy ballad like “Hills on Fire.”
When the proceedings get more raucous, as they do on “My Kind,” Rosali remains as eerily calm as indie-rock veteran Mary Timony might be in the midst of a barroom rocker worthy of Lucinda Williams. And there’s a background simplicity in the realm of Neko Case when Rosali subtly slips into a higher register in the increasingly jangly and trippy “Rewind.”
Rosali’s secure emotional tone anchors the songs whether they slowly stomp like “Change Is in the Form” or bow the head in prayer like “May It Be on Offer.” By the end of Bite Down, Rosali has neither conveyed a single false feeling nor washed away the grit.
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Stream or download Bite Down on Amazon here.
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