Sorry (Thoughts and Prayers)-
Sorry feels classic and timeless hinged on folk / country guitar supported by violin and subtle swelling organs and RoseAnn's blistering vocals. I could write about the all to relevant lyrics but it is just better that you listen and feel this emotional song and shout it from the rooftops.
-Robb Donker
Airing of Grievances-
Look, it’s time to get seriously hip to Queens, New York’s RoseAnn Fino or we’re going to lose her to Europe where she’s wandering about playing clubs in London, Paris, and Scotland, gathering steam, fans, critical attention, a slew of selfies and, most assuredly, some hot new songs.
Intent on getting her music out as it happens, Fino’s second EP within a year continues to grapple with the millennial perils of post-bust America. “I live beneath a bridge near a garbage truck that tells me when it’s morning.” And so begins the single “Touch Me,” a monster tune with the relentless tide of “Sympathy For The Devil” driving her reverberant howls and “Hey Heys” while the Lovely Misfits (pianist and right hand man Ryan Shapiro, violist Allyson Clare, bassist Pete O’Neill, and drummer Neil Nunziato) bash and slam like hell itself was heating up outside the studio door.
Sure, it’s an existential Hell, but it’s still jaggedly dystopian. She courageously deals with that whole mess in the title song, a ballsy, slice of tight wire rock/pop whose disarmingly insistent chorus “You’re so nice/I hope you/stay awhile/And I don”t mess it up/With all my worrying/And you’re so kind/I wish I could/Fix my mind/and not be so fucked up/And be happy/to be loved . . .” leaves you thinking, “Shit, ain’t no one that real anymore.” “Drinking Song,” cast à la Dylan circa Desire, is damn well one of the saddest songs since Lucinda’s “Those Three Days,” as Clare’s mournful viola puts blood in the track and Fino’s hung-over-next-morning-mistake vocal darkens the deep despair.
To all sworn to carrying the Elmore standard—Saving American Music—into battle, give this one a damn good listen. Once you hear, I’m not bullshitting you, tell your friends. Visit the website www.roseannfino.com, join the mailing list and see a show.
– Mike Jurkovic
RoseAnn Fino –
From the very first lyric, one might guess that there are going to be a lot of songs about relationships on RoseAnn Fino's debut CD. With an expressive voice that is laidback and open, she begins, "I used to lay inside the imprint your body made." But these aren't just lovers the young singer-songwriter is addressing in her tunes; she also encompasses friends and family, and she's a fine storyteller. Although there are some melancholy lyrics on this recording, the music camouflages the themes for the most part. Over 12 country/roots-rock tracks, Fino keeps the tempo mostly jaunty, fun, and even danceable. She utilizes relevant musicians on these tunes; to name a few, there is Gary Burke (Joe Jackson, Bob Dylan) on drums, "Professor Louie" Hurwitz (Rick Danko, Graham Parker) on keys and accordion, and John Platania (Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt) on acoustic and electric guitars.
Fino herself also tackles guitars, mandolin, ukulele, and piano. Some of the genre influences here include reggae ("Murder Song"), country twang ("Change My Mind"), and even the slightly theatrical ("Little Girl Lost"). The most somber of all the tracks is "Boxed Wine," in which she's drinking the cheap stuff, listening to Bob Dylan, and singing to the man who gave her a guitar and a heart: her father. These tunes are indelible and fresh, and, with Fino's having grown up on a Hudson Valley farm and later moving to New York, they reflect the extremes of her stomping grounds
The Best Regional Albums of 2013 – Daily Freeman
4. Artist: RoseAnn Fino
Album: “RoseAnn Fino” (Woodstock Records)
On strong regional label Woodstock Records, Fino is aided and abetted by our very own Professor Louie & The Crowmatix, as well as guitarist John Platania, as she is finding her voice, with a lot to say, in an intriguing manner.
Midwest Record – Midwest Record
ROSEANN FINO: Very quietly, Woodstock Records has become a brand any boomer can trust for music that speaks to them. Now, the label widens the lens with their first young act and continues to be a brand you can trust. While this is Fino's showcase, it's also a stealth Crowmatix record and both generations come together to create the folk/rock, singer/songwriter set that everyone from Carolyn Mas forward has been trying to make for the last 35 years while never really grabbing the brass ring. Finding that sweet spot like a heat seeking missile with a GPS, this is a welcoming set that young and old ears can enjoy equally. Hot stuff throughout.
The Blade Review – The Blade
This warm, charming debut from free spirit RoseAnn Fino, who grew up influenced by country music in New York's Hudson Valley, establishes her as someone to watch. The 23-year-old has vast potential, not only with her guitar prowess but also her talent as a slightly unorthodox singer who writes fearlessly about life and love while performing with easygoing confidence.
The disc was produced by Aaron L. Hurwitz and is backed by his group, Professor Louie & The Crowmatrix, as well as Van Morrison guitarist John Platania. Fino's not country in the traditional sense, although you can hear the influence. She's roots rock, with a street-savvy but unpretentious attitude - part street poet, part urban/rural traveler. She's fun.
Read more at http://business.toledoblade.com/Music-Theater-Dance/2013/08/08/THE-IMPROVISED-VIOLIN-CONCERTO.html#diTmyLLeMOkIf7Ph.99
Sound Advice: RoseAnn Fino Brings Some Impressive Names In Debut Album – Daily Freeman
Her father gave her a guitar when she was 5, and RoseAnn Fino hasn't stopped playing since. She now lives in Queens with a black cat and now has a debut CD with some pretty impressive names from our area.
The Woodstock band Professor Louie & The Crowmatix --featuring the legendary Gary Burke on drums, as well as famed guitarist John Platania on guitars-- plays on this and it was produced by Aaron L. Hurwitz, who helpfully lists every keyboards used (sadly, the guitars weren't given equal billing).
Here, "Change My Mind" reveals Fino's heartfelt, laid-back phrasing. Soon she rocks out the twangy "City Lights," while "You and I" is a lovely accordion-laden romp.
The picturesque "Seventies Trousers" holds a description of a fleeting romance, and the slyly infectious tune begs to be played over and over. "Hallways" volleys between easy flowing country to an almost punked-up chorus to great effect. And of course you have to have a murder song, and hers is called "Murder Song" and holds a latent reggae feel.
The juxtaposition of these seasoned musicians and Fino's freshness and exuberance is pure pleasure. Fino finds the emotional heart of all these songs with her expressive voice, without trying too hard, because she doesn't need to. She doesn't imitate anyone, trusts her instincts, writes hard and deep, and then surrounds herself with great musicians.
That's how you do it!
