Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Saturday night, I dropped by The Cameron House to see up-and-coming country singer Whitney Rose (also signed to Cameron House Records). I saw her in an acoustic set opening for Ben Caplan at The Rivoli. This was a chance to see her with a full band.

Rose is diminutive, slender and quite stunning with classical features and dark wavy hair. With backing band Jane's Party, they played two sets of varied country music starting off with Chivalry Is Dead. For someone so young, she does seem to like writing hurtin' songs for her debut album (At The Do-Si-Do, You Only Love Me In The Summertime). Though usually even keeled, Rose does let loose some good pipes on more rocking/bluesy numbers. Being an East coast girl from P.E.I., she also sang songs about life there.

Her covers ran the gamut from Hank Williams' Jambalaya (On The Bayou), Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley P.T.A., to Willie Nelson's Good-Hearted Woman. With a full sound, it was obvious that her heart lay at the intersection between country and 50s pop, as evidenced by new number Old School Soul. With both looks and talent, here's hoping she'll go far in her career.