Sean Rowe | The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights
(Fluff & Gravy Records)
Sean Rowe’s latest begins with the heavy heart and baritone comensurate with his previous musical forays. Life is deep and hopeful, sad and beautiful. By the second track, we are entering new territory with the electricity of synths and epic, U2-arena choruses. Although there are just as many instruments on song one, on song two, the spectrum explodes. It could be a challenge for die-hard Rowe fans to embrace this alternate direction and they may even ache for the ole man and his guitar, but be patient and give evolution a gander. The guitar is still there, the piano too, but the lightness of happy horns and sparkle of electric guitars sends us to the skies of soul, pop, and even R&B. Don’t be misled, however: These are ballads a la Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen.
The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights is an elaborate achievement. Dense, storied, and diverse, it is an introspective and generous exploration of emotion and genre including country groove, alternative folk, and Americana boogie. The record is even sexy, shedding clothes as it slips, skinny, into the well of gospel. The production, the singing, the playing, the words—everything flows with song and story. Per usual, Rowe’s voice shines, aided by good lyrics, yes, but also by the innate ability to occupy a special place between commanding and tender. Fittingly, Rowe is based in the ever-burgeoning city of Troy; perpetually on the edge of hip but consistently gritty, cool, and complicated.
This article appears in February 2022.
