Jeorgia Rose – Blooming

Jeorgia Rose’s debut album is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2024, and it doesn’t disappoint. Clearly influenced by some of the foremost females in contemporary Country Music, ‘Blooming’ combines elements from across the spectrum to create an iridescent garden of sweet-smelling songs.

The surprise of the opening title track is in its gentle illumination rather than bursting forth with colour. For those who have followed her journey over the past year, the expectation would be for something more punchier and poppy. Yet here is a very introspective form of Folk – simplicity evoking clarity as she decouples from relationships to find there her own self:

“I know you love that I was just a seed / but look I’m blooming”.

This line is the culmination of an album that explores the different facets of romance and love. Perhaps surprising then to find it at the beginning. Except, it seems to lay a pretty firm foundation from which to view the rest of the record; made up, as it is, from Jeorgia’s life experiences, and the emotions encountered along the way. These are conveyed in the various styles she utilises to give her songs both a realistic and entertaining edge.

The track which follows – ‘Heatwave’ – drives forward an assertive country-pop to press home the regret of an ex. Likewise, a mix of electric guitar and pulsating drumbeats underline the intention in ‘My Kinda Man’ for the right guy. And the sonic inclinations of ‘Let My Body’ carry into the universe a preoccupation with body consciousness. At every turn, there is evoked the styles of women as various as Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Cooke, Carly Pearce and Lindsay Ell. All are rooted in Country, as is Jeorgia Rose, but her ability to combine and confidently flit between their subtle differences is what makes her album such an enjoyable listen.

‘Undertone’ is first-rate in its humour, wryly told with a Swiftian-style vocal. ‘Anchor’ is honest and touching, with the final two chorus lines being particularly powerful:

“Are you what keeps me tethered / when storms are all around / or are you just an anchor / who’s scared to find out / how it feels to lose me?”

Meanwhile, ‘Making Lemonade’ makes clever use of wordplay and the pedal steel to search for hope amidst difficulty. And ‘What If I Did?’ channels the sharpness of the banjo into a softer pop production to create a heady blend of playful and potentially-ruinous temptation. Jeorgia Rose deftly tells her stories through this delicate balance of musical choice and lyrical intention. So whether the stereotypical country-pop of ‘Over Me’ or the return to Folk-like simplicity for ‘Confetti’, she ensures the message of her songs takes priority each time.

The result is an album which is like a well-maintained meadow of wildflowers. Songs that have grown organically out of her transition from teenager to adulthood; carefully produced to resemble a rich tapestry of colour; and blending together to form something that is ultimately rather beautiful.

Featured Image (C) Jeorgia Rose