Simon RushworthRosalie Cunningham — To Shoot Another Day (Esoteric Antenna)
Rosalie Cunningham is a rare talent indeed.
Part proud throwback to a bygone era — when smart theatrics meant as much as meandering riffs — and part passionate innovator, she’s the complete package.
A dreamy vocalist of growing repute and an accomplished guitarist who continues to impress, her unique talent deserves to be treasured.
Alongside partner in crime (and partner) Rosco Wilson, Cunningham continues to curate some of the wildest, most wonderful rock and roll around right now.
Her ambition knows no bounds and the scope of her musicality allows for prog, psych, jazz and classic rock to cohabit comfortably.
But that’s not to say To Shoot Another Day sees Cunningham slip into any kind of comfort zone. Far from it.
This dynamic body of work might lean on its creator’s trademark penchant for purring melodies rooted in the late 60s.
And yet there’s never any hint of a lazy rehash of what’s gone before.
Stretching way back to her formative years in Purson, Cunningham’s always been renowned for radical reinvention and refreshing experimentation.
To Shoot Another Day’s been enjoying regular rotation at Rushonrock HQ for six weeks now: yep — this remarkable album’s been out for some time.
But it’s testimony to a rich listening experience, underpinned by a seriously unpredictable tracklist, that the final verdict’s taken this long.
Cunningham’s one cool cat
Much of the joy to be found in a Rosalie Cunningham record lies in a canny ability to fuse compelling narratives with perfectly complementary melody.
Somehow Rosco’s fretwork on Timothy Martin’s Conditioning School is exactly what you’d expect to hear on an almost farcical (in a good way) track.
‘He knows how to bring out your inner fool’ teases Cunningham in the first verse — one of the finest storytellers of a generation knows how to inject humour and pace into what can be a serious and sedentary genre.
It’s easy to imagine Cunningham and Rosco spending hours poring over which song fits where when they’re pulling together a final tracklist.
It’s typically zany behaviour on their part that The Premiere, for instance, appears at the end, rather than the beginning of To Shoot Another Day.
We’re damn sure they did that on purpose.
Stepped Out Of Time says it all but we’re so glad Cunningham continues to do so.
And then there’s the deliciously off kilter Denim Eyes: ‘Those denim eyes, those denim eyes, colder than fire but hotter than ice’ is a lyric for the ages.
To Shoot Another Day targets anyone and everyone who appreciates the lost art of psychedelic songwriting.
Cunningham and Wilson have got you in their sights.
