Review: You+Me – Rose Ave.

Friends for many years, platinum recording artist Pink thought that maybe one day Dallas Green would be interested in collaborating with her. Considering his voice most angelic, she invited him to jam with her, renting a studio just in case inspiration hit. Coming into the situation, Dallas had never written with another person, while Pink’s process included only co-writing with other people. On the night they planned to simply drop his guitars off at the studio, they ended up writing and recording one song, starting another afterwards. Taken aback by how well and how quickly they were able to blend their voices, they wrote and recorded the album in one week’s time. The finished product, You+Me’s Rose Ave. is less of an album that features one artist over the other, but is purely a dual effort. They have established themselves as a cohesive unit, emanating the same aggressions, same warmth, tone and emotion while in the studio. The two say that they’ve married their voices in a way that sometimes takes a lifetime for duos to achieve, volleying their vocals back and forth on each track.

The two have a yin and yang writing style. Whereas Dallas takes a year to pen a song, Pink can write in the moment, a trait he admires. She’ll write a word, he says, and if it doesn’t work she’ll write another one to replace it immediately and be done. Her performance at the 2014 Academy Awards inspired the moody intro guitar for “Capsized”, a song on which Pink conceptualized their lyrics. A line from the acceptance speech of actress Cate Blanchett at the same Oscars ceremony inspired her to reference the world being round in the chorus for “From a Closet in Norway (Oslo Blues)”. “Love Gone Wrong” is more pop-folk than other tunes on the record with its easy-going melody. The album, however, has more of a quintessential folk quality to it, reminiscent of the classic trio Peter, Paul and Mary, which is seen in the single “You and Me” as well as “Unbeliever”, a somewhat uptempo yet melancholy song of near harmonies. Both, “Break the Cycle” and “Open Door”, draw from the love and pain of family experiences and the desire to address and break through traumatic issues through understanding. The album ends with a cover of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love”, one of Dallas’ and his mother’s favorite recording artists. For him, if he had to choose one song to sing for the rest of his life, that would be it. He and Pink convey a haunting rendition of Sade’s signature single, signifying a moving finale for Rose Ave.

 
Written by Mai Perkins

Originally from Los Angeles, Mai Perkins is currently living a decade long bona fide love affair with NYC and the music that keeps its spirit moving. Many of her adventures around the globe are documented on her blog: Mai On The Move! www.MaiOnTheMove.com

 
Author’s rating for Rose Ave.

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Rose Ave.

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure