Rosetta West – Gravity Sessions
An album recorded raw, antedated by a ceremony of the rock genre’s power. Gravity Sessions by Rosetta West is a record that shakes the soul, breaks the silence, and reminds us that the underground never dies. It just evolves. The album gets its name from the recording studio, Gravity Studios, in Chicago. Rosetta West’s new release is a live-wire invocation of the band’s core identity: bluesy, rebellious, mystical, and wholly untamed. With this album, we get to hear the sound of the unit completely unfiltered. It begins with Dora Lee– a storming blend of strings, drums, and howls. The delivery is so well accomplished that it sets a strong start, reminiscent of the genre's past. Suzie and Broken Glass follow, and both songs reinforce this nostalgia with a sonic wallop, a touch of psychedelic blues. Next, enter songs that birth a feeling we’d somewhat associate with themes of ritualism, maybe mysticism, or transcendence. The lyrics are bold and are performed into the mic with a wildness that only a rock song can evoke. With songs that follow, Deeper than Magic and Save Me, you hear the psychedelic rock influence more evidently. The pieces are a generous mix of layered effects, swirling reverb, and an experimental mindset that channels 60s/70s acid rock. In between the lines, you also pick modal scales. These notes reinforce the theme of mysticism that feels rooted in something far older and more spiritual than Western rock alone. Rosetta West concludes the album with Baby Doll and Venous Blues— ditties that give you that feeling of reminiscence when you reach the end of a concert and you don’t want to leave. The boldness speaks predominantly with these tracks and sets the album in line towards a perfect conclusion. When you sit with the album technically, you can hear the gaps where every track crackles with analog warmth and room bleeds. Aka spaces between the notes. This builds up a stylistic choice— imperfection, on-brand with the band. The band banks on ritual rock, which, more than just the music you listen to, is music you experience. It creates this sense of heeding among the listeners— something you would refer to as cult-band energy. If you think of a movie like Almost Famous (2000), tracks like Dora Lee fit perfectly with the coming-of-age rock odyssey, steeped in the 70s tour life. Think of hotel lobbies, backstage chaos, bus rides with guitars in hand, and late-night philosophical conversations between bandmates. The best way to explain the album would be: You discover the record, fall in love with it, and evangelize to others. If you are a fan of The Doors, or you love music that is fused with emotional depth and gritty, live-wire energy, Gravity Sessions is for you.
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