Erja Lyytinen – Smell The Roses
There’s a discernible, heavier edge and guitars-up-front/ seventies sound to Smell The Roses, the new studio album from award winning Finnish blues rock singer-guitarist-songwriter Erja Lyytinen.
That intentional edginess comes from the fact many of the songs are about encountering, and coming through, deep sorrow, while other topics include forgiveness, hope, lust, loss and betrayal (a couple of the tracks however are lyrically enigmatic, allowing the listener to make their own interpretation).
The seventies sound of Smell The Roses is also fully intentional; a successful hybrid of utilising analogue equipment, Erja Lyytinen’s band instrumentation focused production and Matias Kiiveri’s highly effective rock mix.
The album opens with the title track, a riffy, edgy number that carries a punkish attitude on the verses and bigger, melodically sculpted choruses, where the song’s plea to wake up is heard in no uncertain terms ("Smell the roses bitch, the world you live in don't exist! You can't rule all this, stop wanting something you can't have).
A tasty little solo and melodic bridge add to the song’s dynamic, while ending on the angsty, repeating riff that opened on the song is a particularly nice touch.
'Going To Hell' nods to Erja Lyytinen’s earlier blues rock sound, one that shape shifts between progressively formed instrumental passages and contemporary, mid-tempo heavy blues, before settling into the latter.
For the finale however, the song slips back into the pacier instrumental section, thus emulating the repeated motif style of the opening track.
The even more progressive, seven-minute long 'Abyss' is, lyrically and title wise, the perfect follow on to 'Going To Hell.'
Slow building in drop D tuning, the song rocks out on a short, Zeppelin-styled instrumental passage before entering a lengthier, rhythmically brooding section with an effective, whammy bar affected solo.
The track then hits a repeated chorus part that bookends a heavyweight passage where Erja Lyytinen delivers some of her edgiest and battle hardened soloing to date. An impacting and purposeful highlight.
That intentional edginess comes from the fact many of the songs are about encountering, and coming through, deep sorrow, while other topics include forgiveness, hope, lust, loss and betrayal (a couple of the tracks however are lyrically enigmatic, allowing the listener to make their own interpretation).
The seventies sound of Smell The Roses is also fully intentional; a successful hybrid of utilising analogue equipment, Erja Lyytinen’s band instrumentation focused production and Matias Kiiveri’s highly effective rock mix.
The album opens with the title track, a riffy, edgy number that carries a punkish attitude on the verses and bigger, melodically sculpted choruses, where the song’s plea to wake up is heard in no uncertain terms ("Smell the roses bitch, the world you live in don't exist! You can't rule all this, stop wanting something you can't have).
A tasty little solo and melodic bridge add to the song’s dynamic, while ending on the angsty, repeating riff that opened on the song is a particularly nice touch.
'Going To Hell' nods to Erja Lyytinen’s earlier blues rock sound, one that shape shifts between progressively formed instrumental passages and contemporary, mid-tempo heavy blues, before settling into the latter.
For the finale however, the song slips back into the pacier instrumental section, thus emulating the repeated motif style of the opening track.
The even more progressive, seven-minute long 'Abyss' is, lyrically and title wise, the perfect follow on to 'Going To Hell.'
Slow building in drop D tuning, the song rocks out on a short, Zeppelin-styled instrumental passage before entering a lengthier, rhythmically brooding section with an effective, whammy bar affected solo.
The track then hits a repeated chorus part that bookends a heavyweight passage where Erja Lyytinen delivers some of her edgiest and battle hardened soloing to date. An impacting and purposeful highlight.
'Dragonfly' offers interesting ode-to-nature contrast, flitting as it does from dreamier, dark Americana verses to heavier segments, including a tasty solo set within an almost southern-country arrangement.
Like 'Abyss' following 'Going To Hell,' 'Wings To Fly' is a natural follow on to 'Dragonfly.'
Starting downtempo before settling into an alt-Americana vibe, the song, which lyrically embraces growth and wishing a former partner/ lover well, develops further into a hybrid of Southern rock (complete with twin harmony guitars moment) and melodic rock, heard to most prominent effect on the "wings to fly" chorus repeat finale.
'The Ring' is a great big boxing glove boogie of a number, one that features judicious use of Erja Lyytinen’s redoubtable slide skills, organ backing and a nifty little breakdown. It’s the simplest number on the album, but one of the most effective.
'Ball And Chain' keeps the slide 'n' blues quotient high, but here with added heavy-pop appeal, a quirky Stylophone sounding slide solo and an earworm "Nothing To Do About It!" pop chorus.
The blues continues to call on 'Stoney Creek,' an indie vibed, slide affected number that tells of a hiking trip down by the river that goes wrong (the lyric, and indeed the chorus structure, is something you could imagine Blue Oyster Cult doing back in the day).
Guitar players may also be interested to musically note that while the song is in E, Erja Lyytinen’s guitar is in open G tuning, with a capo on the second fret in A.
The results are a sound that’s as intriguing as the song’s mysterious lyric.
The album closes on the sparse, and darkly atmospheric, 'Empty Hours.'
A tormented blues to love lost, the song is primarily vocal, slide (now in open D-minor tuning, guitar aficionados) and a simple beat rhythm.
If Kate Bush (in a lower, breathy register) sung the blues, it might well have sounded like this.
Smell The Roses is a highly accomplished album by an artist who continues to broaden her creative palette.
It’s also Erja Lyytinen’s heaviest (in more ways than one) and, more importantly, best album to date.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Like 'Abyss' following 'Going To Hell,' 'Wings To Fly' is a natural follow on to 'Dragonfly.'
Starting downtempo before settling into an alt-Americana vibe, the song, which lyrically embraces growth and wishing a former partner/ lover well, develops further into a hybrid of Southern rock (complete with twin harmony guitars moment) and melodic rock, heard to most prominent effect on the "wings to fly" chorus repeat finale.
'The Ring' is a great big boxing glove boogie of a number, one that features judicious use of Erja Lyytinen’s redoubtable slide skills, organ backing and a nifty little breakdown. It’s the simplest number on the album, but one of the most effective.
'Ball And Chain' keeps the slide 'n' blues quotient high, but here with added heavy-pop appeal, a quirky Stylophone sounding slide solo and an earworm "Nothing To Do About It!" pop chorus.
The blues continues to call on 'Stoney Creek,' an indie vibed, slide affected number that tells of a hiking trip down by the river that goes wrong (the lyric, and indeed the chorus structure, is something you could imagine Blue Oyster Cult doing back in the day).
Guitar players may also be interested to musically note that while the song is in E, Erja Lyytinen’s guitar is in open G tuning, with a capo on the second fret in A.
The results are a sound that’s as intriguing as the song’s mysterious lyric.
The album closes on the sparse, and darkly atmospheric, 'Empty Hours.'
A tormented blues to love lost, the song is primarily vocal, slide (now in open D-minor tuning, guitar aficionados) and a simple beat rhythm.
If Kate Bush (in a lower, breathy register) sung the blues, it might well have sounded like this.
Smell The Roses is a highly accomplished album by an artist who continues to broaden her creative palette.
It’s also Erja Lyytinen’s heaviest (in more ways than one) and, more importantly, best album to date.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ