SINGLE REVIEW: LISA NORA - HER, ROSE
Having already written about one Anglo / Dutch artist in Pien who'd have thought we'd be writing about a second quite so soon yet here we are with Lisa Nora relocated to the UK aged 19 from the Netherlands, and her latest single "Her, Rose". If nothing else she piqued our interest with that curiously placed comma in the title and once caught on her hook, she reeled us in with her mixture of a folky country sound and evocative lyrics that made you want to hear more.
Lisa has been releasing music since 2017 and even the quickest of dips into her catalogue shows that there are plenty of gems to find. She has though been a little quiet in recent times so it's great to report that her latest single is a sparkling return to recorded duty.
"Her, Rose" opens to the sound of two guitars, one up front, an acoustic outlining the main tune, while in the background an electric guitar adds descriptive flourishes subtly adding to the overall sound. Combined they make a delicate framework over which Lisa adds the most silky smooth of siren like vocals. Certain words in the opening verse ( know and door ) are lovingly lingered over and elongated, which makes for a sound that is so welcoming.
There's a poetry to the lyrics of the opening verse, that give it a timeless feel, they are as likely to have stepped from the pages of a classic novel as much as they may have occurred in reality today, where someone has found a stash of notes written by their partner to someone else, the mysterious Rose. The act of actually writing something on paper now sounds so antiquated, like something from a bygone age.
"Tell me do you know
About the not quite finished notes
You left inside a drawer?
The right one near the door
It was opened once before
Did you feel insecure?"
The drama of the revelation, is heightened by the arrival of percussion, although in keeping with the rest of the tune, it is perfectly sympathetic.
"It seems you got to know her years ago
Under the moon, so low
And full of love
You saw her, Rose"
The second verse by contrast feels modern, and only Lisa will know for sure if these verses are related, with the same characters, or the same events being played out in different time zones to highlight how things have changed - either works on our view.
"Tell me do you know
About the not quite reached out call
You made when you were alone
Did I not make you whole?
Did I not cheer you up and more
When you needed it most?"
An in keeping gentle guitar solo breaks the mood for a few moments before a most measured and magnanimous response comes from the wronged party. It sees Lisa's vocals double tracked, a fanciful interpretation could be it is as if the same words were being spoken in two time zones
"You need to move on
Been stuck for so long
Prisoned in time
You need to be somewhere else
Where she’s not
Merely on your mind"
The final chorus is the most affecting, for it is now just Lisa and her acoustic guitar, her voice perfectly capturing the feelings of someone not wanting to stand in the way of true romance yet hurt nonetheless. A final few guitar notes play out on this four and half minute piece of high drama that is a most welcome return for Lisa Nora - #TEAMw21 eagerly await to see what other material she has amassed during her absence from recording.
