A Vivoscene Review by Marin Nelson

vivoscene rating 7.0

Every decade in rock needs a commanding female vocal which defines, or challenges, the times; in the 70s it was Heart’s Crazy On You; then Alannah Myles with Black Velvet; Garbage’s Shirley Manson with Only Happy When It Rains; Evanescence’s Amy Lee with Broken. Once you get past the fact that Fools For Rowan frontwoman Erin Mullins is every interstate biker’s dream, you might just hear that potential in her whiskey-soaked voice. Because damn, she has some pipes.

Fools For Rowan emerged from Nashville, the bedrock of American music, in 2009 with their debut album Twisted. Tied Up. Tangled. The fivesome has since enjoyed an aftermath of successes, touring with the likes of rock powerhouses Halestorm and Sick Puppies. Although it’s their onstage presence which is garnering them attention, Twisted. Tied Up. Tangled. deserves some further review.

Fools For Rowan has been labelled as Lipstick Rock, but that’s not doing them justice. Sure, with lead guitarist Rachel Brandsness, they have a strong female presence – but there’s nothing “Maybelline” about it. The album opens with Burnt Around the Edges, and we’re immediately confronted with the spine-chilling impact of Mullins’ voice, which vaults off some killer riffs from the three accompanying guitars. Watch a live performance here:

Dead, pared down and acoustic, will have you floored by the way Mullins’ voice can go from rough to syrupy sweet in seconds. Satisfying harmonies develop with help from a subtle, well-chosen orchestra.

Tangled, the title track, has a strong narrative and impressive pacing. This song really drives home the theme of corrupting love that Fools For Rowan has explored.

Normally a well-rounded, ten song offering triggers alarm, but none of these tracks could be labelled as “filler”. Most of the tracks have a clear formula to them, but what they lack in musical adventurousness, they more than make up for in content that’s universally appealing. Some of the images, like setting things on fire, are recycled throughout, but you can’t deny it’s a successful one (see Kings of Leon’s Sex on Fire.) Fools For Rowan also has a charming way of injecting some Southern tenors in the same way that Kings of Leon, also a Nashville-born band, has mastered. And if they maintain their energy and pace, they could reach the same heights.