Mama Rose "Set the Clock Down" Review
Why do we obsess over time? Why do we pick apart the past and anxiously await what’s around the corner? We waste time by giving it all the power. What if we just… set it down?
Mama Rose’s first studio album, “Set the Clock Down,” revolves around breaking the cycle of marking every passing second and clinging on to what happens in these moments. The fifteen track project produces soft, cradling sounds to pave a path of simultaneous grief and healing stemming from intimate relationships and unfortunate events guided by comforting, yet powerful vocals from the artist, psychic, and mother.
Working with producer Jason Faye for the second time this year, “Set the Clock Down” is further experimentation of genre-bending sound by Mama Rose, much like her first release this year “Drink More Water.” With additional help from Thomas Gorton on guitar, this album blends a delicate mix of soul, folk, and jazz to give a familiar, but novel experience in the forty-one minutes of runtime.
But in the spirit of the project, the forty-one minute runtime is arbitrary. Rather, let’s dive into the sound and the moments it shares.
“Set the Clock Down” Tracklist
Fighting With TIme
Beginning with the first released single, “Is This a Fight” unmasks the tensions of interpersonal quarrels between intimate partners. Sometimes, a fight between two loved ones isn’t always accompanied by noise. Silence carries the weight of miscommunication and petty differences.
Mama Rose lusciously paints a picture of this tension over slow, swinging instrumentation with the bass acting as the foundation for the rich soul that this track encompasses.
“Put Me On A Lake” is an early interlude as Mama Rose sings an intimate near-acapella ballad of escape. Drifting out to the middle of a lake separates oneself from the land in which society is still moving at a break-neck pace.
Mama Rose wants this sense of separation in the middle of this reflective and captivating water, finding somewhere to breathe and somewhere to find peace.
A Foolproof Errand
“Fool” mixes a simple, but poignant guitar chord progression with spacious and wet vocals that dissipates to every angle of the mix. Mama Rose has been made a fool enough times to know better. When love crawls back in the frame, it is not without a test. Boundaries are challenged to assure this recent connection comes without static. Being Mama Rose’s first track recorded alone, that detail adds to the lonesome honesty “Fool” provides.
Houses & Jars
In this two-track stretch of “House On the Hill,” Mama Rose fills both space and time with questions. The first part is another acapella interlude that acts as a prelude for its sibling track.
In searching for the answers to her questions, Mama Rose realizes that her past, or someone from her past, has achieved a higher vantage point of success or comfort. As she looks up from the hill, she sees a house nestled on the peak at peace and comfort with the landscapes. As she looks down, however, all that can be seen is a cluster of empty jars.
These jars perhaps held core memories from moments of a past love or that have yet to be filled, sitting vacant and patiently waiting. Either way, these drawers sit hollow, offering no possessions and no answers.
“Questions fill my time, but I’ve got space to fill.”
Whiskey Breath & Coffee Stains
With deep plucking strings, Mama Rose tries to take the poison out of wine and forget the sharp taste of stronger spirits in the track “Whiskey.”
The whiskey breath Mama Rose smells either uncovers her weakness or is a source of pain drawing from the past. She wants to make lemonade out of their wine which can indicate the scent of the drink harbors a past of both weakness and pain.
“Coffee” seamlessly bleeds from “Whiskey.” In this track featuring spoken word over cello strings, Mama Rose professes and exposes the guilt that swims through the brewed beans.
“Coffee tastes like guilt,
And stings the tongue of the liar who professed to be able to afford it and not to need it.
Even decaf leaves something filled.”
Between the Shadows
Reaching the halfway point of the album, Mama Rose throws a curveball in the tracklist with “Shadow Artist.” Singer Vinney Franco takes Mama Rose’s place accompanied solely by a guitar chord progression. Vinny provides a sultry performance of longing for someone who has disappeared in between the shadows.
“Boundaries” is yet another spoken-word bridge to the last part of the album. These spoken words act as a heartfelt segway to various sections of the project. This spoken bridge highlights the importance boundaries have on keeping beauty from falling apart. Boundaries do not necessarily mean a lack of freedom, but a guideline to keep the balance between beauty and pain.
“Freedom and boundaries are not the same thing,
But binding what’s beautiful in one book
Does not denote the beauty of a page.”
Healing Takes Time
Over a saturated, rich guitar pick, Mama Rose lays all her mistakes and shortcomings on the table and takes responsibility for them. The past still shows scars and painful memories that have forced her to erect walls for her own protection. However, she is trying to knock down these walls in order to heal. But, contrary to setting the clock down, time is the only thing that can truly heal.
A sign of healing takes place in the next track “When you Were With Me.” This track honors a person of the past without bitterness or jealousy, but with sincerity and hope that their future provides them with as much love as she once showed and healing from their own wounds.
Like Mother--Like Daughter
Nearing the end of “Set the Clock Down,” Mama Rose shares a special piece of audio. Her daughter, Maya, puts on her best singing voice. This endearing piece of audio shows the influence Mama Rose has on her daughter as she seems to mimic her mother’s singing style. Furthermore, Maya shares her nostalgia for when her mother and father were still together.
“Singin Bout You” uncovers the feeling of “Maya’s Family Song.” Not only has Mama Rose been trying to heal from the repercussions of the past, but the pain has also been passed down to her daughter. Maya has her mother singing about her father, for she too still needs time to heal.
Set the Clock Down & Be Free
“Set The Clock Down” ends with the titular track. Mama Rose has struggled with the passing of time and the grief it brings. Time is still needed to heal, but true freedom comes when time is forgotten and all that envelops your mind is what’s right in front of you.
Stream “Set the Clock Down” wherever you stream your music.
Additionally, you can purchase “Set the Clock Down” on Mama Rose’s Bandcamp.
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Review by: Paul Thorson, Hip-Hop Writer @PaulyT03
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylustTC