EP Review: Whitney Rose 'South Texas Suite'

In 2015, Whitney Rose relocated to Austin from her native Canada for a residency at the famed Continental Club, but fell in love with the Lone Star State and decided to make the stay permanent. That fondness for the state coupled with her time at the historic club and the richly diverse music city all informed her new EP, South Texas Suite - which can only be described as an homage to her new home. The six-song project, which was recorded at Dale Watson’s Ameripolitan Studio with the Continental Club house band, mixes Rose originals, covers and an instrumental in a record that’s confident, charming, and enduring.

South Texas Suite begins with the Tex-Mex flair (highlighted by a welcome accordion courtesy of Michael Guerra) of “Three Minute Love Affair” where Rose’s sweet and sultry vocals tell the story of a brief, but intense love affair that occurs in the moments you’re coupled on the dance floor. That’s followed by a call to return to the simpler things - lazy rivers, memories, $1 jukebox plays - on the Brennen Leigh penned shuffler, “Analog;” the sassy foot stomping anthem “My Boots” and the simmering, romantic “Bluebonnets for My Baby” (written by Teri Joyce). This suite is finished off with the beautifully nostalgic “Looking Back on Luchenbach” and the instrumental “How Bout A Hand for the Band” – and what a band it is including Bryce Clark on guitar, Sophia Johnson on guitar, Redd Volkaert on guitar, James Shelton on steel guitar, Tom Lewis on drums, Kevin Smith on bass, Erik Hokkanen on fiddle, and Earl Poole Ball on piano.

South Texas Suite is a loving tribute to a place Rose clearly has a deep appreciation and respect for – and there’s no doubt once denizens of that state (and the 49 others) take in this record, the feeling will be mutual. 

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