Madeline Rosene: “Everyday Existential Crisis” (2022) CD Review

Madeline Rosene is a vocalist and songwriter who is based in Cleveland (though she’s also spent a good deal of time in Los Angeles). She put out her first album, Raised On Porn, just before the pandemic gripped the country, and followed that with Everyday Existential Crisis in late 2022.  The music on this album is pop, but a wonderful sort of pop, with intelligence, with heart, with something to say. It is music for those of us who are trying to remain sane in a decidedly unbalanced world, and it is delivered with wit and honesty. There are jazz and folk influences in her music as well, which come in part from her upbringing, and, I imagine, from her time at Hampshire College in western Massachusetts. Most of the tracks on this release were produced by Patrick Windsor and Bob Varo, both of whom also perform on some of these tracks. She has several other musicians joining her on various tracks.

The album opens with “Out Of My Mouth,” a catchy and wonderful song about emerging from a cloud of fear and worry. I love these lines: “I used to let the change control me/But now I let the strange console me/Look out world, here I come/I’m not afraid of anyone.” A good, positive, empowering message, which is needed in these odd times. And the song’s title comes from the line, “I keep my fingers out of my mouth” (earlier in that verse she mentions that she would bite her “nails until they bled”). There is certainly a Natalie Merchant influence heard in her vocal delivery of certain words and phrases. This track also features a horn section. William Driskell is on trombone, Patrick Windsor is on alto saxophone, and Jon Thomas is on tenor saxophone. William Driskell also plays guitar, bass and drums on this track. “I used to think we’d only make it while we’re young” is another line that stands out to me. Then “Words” begins with a softer, prettier sound, like a wind across a lonesome plain. Then her vocals come in, and here her delivery is different from the first track, more intimate and expressing a need, a voice of someone who has gone through some things. It is a gorgeous performance. “And I don’t want to help if you don’t need it/Or make these rhymes sound right when things get rough/Just don’t give up/Heaven knows it’s all in your head/Just like I always said.” It is difficult when you want to help someone you love, someone who is suffering from depression and anxiety, and your words just don’t manage it. Adding to the song’s beauty is the presence of strings. Natasha Kermani is on violin, and Lisa Donald is on cello. This track builds in power toward the end. It is one of my personal favorites.

“Burn” has a brighter energy and sound. “Oh, and look at how she glows/You’d think she was new, but she’s full-grown.” The music itself seems to glow. There is a groovy, jazzy vibe about this one too. Nicole Windsor is on both guitar and bass, while Patrick Windsor is on keyboards and backing vocals. Justin Flanigan plays drums on this one. That’s followed by “Heart On Fire.” The first lines caught me by surprise and made me laugh aloud, particularly as the music is pretty with a thoughtful and contemplative vibe: “Heart on fire/Or maybe it’s indigestion.” And those lyrics are delivered so sweetly. The song then kicks in, and takes on a 1970s feel. I like that work on piano which functions as part of the rhythm. The song then returns to that prettier section, and features some nice work by Alexander Daniels on violin. Alexander Daniels actually also delivers that piano part. Sean Motley is on drums. And this track features the horn section in the second half. Patrick Windsor and Jon Thomas are again on alto saxophone and tenor saxophone respectively, and Mark Rudin is on trumpet. Then the album’s title track, “Everyday Existential Crisis,” begins with some gentle, pretty work on guitar. When her vocals come in, there is an ethereal element to her delivery. “Is it you? Is it me?/I don’t know what I’m supposed to be/I don’t know anything besides this/Everyday existential crisis.” Yes, this is a song for our times. “What kind of monster am I?” she asks at one point. One of the things I love about Madeline Rosene is the way she adjusts her voice, her delivery, for each song, so that it fits well with what she wants to say. That is Bob Varo on guitar, by the way.

The first line of “Lobotomy” is one I’m certain everyone can relate to: “I need to turn off my brain.” Things have been mad the last several years, and sometimes it feels all too much, like we’re going to explode, and we need a break. This is a strangely pleasant pop song. I love these lines: “Anything to get me to focus/And relieve a little psychosis.” Only an hour or so before I first listened to this disc, my girlfriend and I were talking about how difficult we were finding it to focus. By the way, does anyone else remember those bumper stickers and buttons which read, “Lobotomies for Republicans – It’s the Law”? Bob Varo, who produced this track, plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass and drums on it. “Franglais” also has an opening line that immediately pulls us in: “Am I mixed up, somewhere between here and there?” And as you might guess from the song’s title, the lyrics are delivered in a mix of French and English. There is something playful about this one. Bob Varo also produced this track, and plays guitar and drums on it.

Dante Juhkel joins Madeline Rosene on vocals for “Good Behavior,” delivering a rap: “I swear that I love you, but I’m always breaking promises.” He also produced the track. Dante Juhkel also joins her on “The Kill,” a song with a lot of attitude. Here Madeline Rosene sings, “Shit out of luck/Because I’m needy as fuck/And you’re easy to prey upon/Check, and I took your king with my pawn.” I appreciate that chess reference. And before that, there is actually a little nod to Friday The 13th, with that breath and then a whisper of “Kill, kill, kill.” “And since we’re telling the truth/You like the fear in these baby blues.” This is more in the mainstream dance pop realm. Dante Juhkel’s rap comes in the second half. The album concludes with “Sugar” which begins with some cool work on guitar and features a delicious bass line. Shea Stratton is on guitar, and William Driskill is on bass and drums. Originally I believed this track to be an instrumental, but it turns out that some of the discs that were sent out contain an error, and are missing the vocals to this track. But the track actually contains a strong vocal performance. “Well, here’s what you can do for me/I have you to myself so I can love you, but only conditionally/You can be my favorite commodity.”

CD Track List

1. Out Of My Mouth
2. Words
3. Burn
4. Heart On Fire
5. Everyday Existential Crisis
6. Lobotomy
7. Franglais
8. Good Behavior
9. The Kill
10. Sugar

Everyday Existential Crisis was released on October 28, 2022.