Sunny Day Roses - BLOOMSHINE!

Marathon Records

Obvious influences range from the prog rock of Peter Gabriel and Rush, to the Mexicali rock of Los Lobos and the Gypsy Kings, to the already noted strong funk presence, to the lounge interlude on the bridge of "Cross", to the acoustic interludes between songs throughout the front half of the record (which really make me wish whoever was playing them would put together some kind of folk project), to tribal drum rhythms, to slide blues.

The changes are absolutely dizzying ... that is, until you realize that the band has accomplished the nearly impossible; regardless of what they're playing, it all sounds distinctly like the Sunny Day Roses. Before hearing this album, I would've sworn up and down that there was no common thread to be found among all these different styles, but this band has found one. Or created it.

This meshing of styles can be attributed to nothing other than an exceptionally talented group of players. Frontwoman Suki Chaney's vocals are smooth, engaging, and powerful. Instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the output of Farewell To Juliet is the rhythm guitar work of Jeff Elbel, who lays out a lush sonic bed.

Lead guitar, provided by Lewis Richey, is equally strong. Richey is a very diverse and creative player. Also worth noting are appearances by Andrew Carter of Elektra Records' The Aunt Bettys providing additional guitar, and Chris Scott from Precious Death, singing lead vocal on "Dig".

And then there's the rhythm section. Oh my. Bassist Steve Oberg and drummer Jonathan Edwards are stellar. These two lead the band spinning through stops, starts, time and key changes without missing a beat.

This wealth of creative playing serves to support some equally strong lyrics. This may be a debut album, but the members of SDR are not new to the music scene, and that becomes obvious in some artfully written songs. Take the opening verses of "Blue" as an example:

Candles burn and lightning flash
Shadows come to play
The light that burns most brightly
Is the first to fade away

Elusive and ephemeral
Emotions run in kind
With nothing to sustain them
So soon they fall behind

Joy
Surround me
Carry me away

- Todd Brown