You may have caught RoSa at one of their numerous gigs around CBRM and beyond in the past couple of years and found yourself taken with their harmonies and pop-rock country sound. If they left you wanting more, then you’re in luck. The band spent the better part of spring and summer at Soundpark Studios in Coxheath recording their first album.
Emily Dingwall, who supplies RoSa’s acoustic guitar and vocals, described the time spent in studio as a valuable learning experience. “A lot of work goes into making a quality sounding record that represents you or your band,” she reflected. “This being our first record, we are learning so much in the studio. It’s much different than playing live.” Emily is joined in RoSa by sister Jennifer Dingwall-MacDonald who sings lead vocals and longtime friend Darrick MacLeod on drums.
There are some notable local musicians adding their talents to the recording, including Colin Grant on fiddle, Jamie Foulds on keyboard and electric guitar, Ed Woodsworth on stand-up and electric bass, and Gerard Chaisson on electric guitar. “We simply love having these great musicians putting some great ideas into our songs,” said Emily.
Some of the album tracks were written years ago, and others were completed for the album. Some of the older material dates back to when Emily, Jennifer, and Darrick started jamming together. In working with a roster of other musicians that fill out their sound, some of the old favourites have taken on a new twist. “We are excited about this bigger sound that has been created to amplify what we have been working on in our kitchens,” said Emily. “Now we have a chance to play with a rockin’ band when the time calls for it, and who knows, it may stick. Nonetheless, we still really love to play our songs acoustic, and we plan on doing so more often now that we’ve done so much work to our songs and are so excited about our new vibe.”
While now in the process of fine-tuning it for a fall release, their first single will be soon be ready for radio play. “I Don’t Even Know You” was written by Gordie Sampson and Hillary Lindsey, and will be the first taste of what the album will have to offer. Emily said that the band was spending time in Nashville, where Sampson does much of his work, around the time the song was written. “We chose this song because we both fell in love with singing it and the story it tells,” Emily said mysteriously, also pointing out that the single was important in giving the band inspiration to take their sound to the next level. “It has the most pop/country sound so far on the record. It gave us the bug to make a bigger sound.”
For now, RoSa is still in the thick of polishing up the album. Other than the upcoming single, it’s still a bit early to say exactly what they have in store for the album release and promotion. One thing fans can count on, though, is plenty of live music. As Emily promised, “One thing for sure is us playing our music whenever we get the chance. We are ready to take on whatever comes our way.”
