"Rosalia One: Going Out" is the first half of a two part album of 25 songs written, played, and sung by Rod Phillips, in a style reminiscent of Dan Fogelberg, John Denver, and/or Michael Martin Murphey. The songs were written over a forty year period, some going back a full 40 years and some written within a year of the recording, reflecting an evolution and growth in the artist's writing style, and incorporating over a dozen instruments played by the artist-- placing this accomplishment in the category of a Stevie Wonder or Todd Rungren-- both multi-instrumentalists. Expert drummer/percussionist Pete Generous (Springfield, MO) and seasoned fiddle player George Geisser (Branson, MO) on the low-strung 5 string fiddle are the only other musicians on the album (OK, theres a cameo electric guitar solo on "5th Element" by superb engineer/technician Stephen "Jimi" John). So, Rod plays 5 kinds of guitars, bass, piano, cello, keyboards, chromatic and blues harmonicas, Indian flute, whistle, and classical flute, mandolin, banjo, celtic harp, & alto saxophone, and sings all the parts a la Crosby, Stills, and Nash (it's widely known that parts of their songs were doubled by the lead vocalist on the track). That's around fifteen instruments, but who's counting? The important part of the music is the lyrics, tone, and delivery of the songs. They are art songs, songs of family, reminiscence, longing, life, and love, with impeccable lyrics and sometimes great stories. To put a singer in a category is dangerous but Rod is not a rapper, not a blues singer, not a country singer per se... if you're looking for a wailer, you won't find it here. There's much emphasis on the clarity of the lyrics and a dependence on the form of the song, its poetry, for its impact.
Rod adds "I collaborated with some other lyricists on the album, who were a great source of the inspiration for recording it, namely my friends Dale Tower, Bob Romage, and Cindy Carver, and a great contribution lyrically by Bill Smith for 'She Reminds Me of Montana'. Thanks especially to my "old" friend Dale and my "new" friend Cindy... and special thanks to my father and to my wife Andrea. I would never have recorded this album without their inspiration and support."
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