Walter Rose’s debut album, “Cast Your Stone” is sure to hit every mood from cruising with the top down to fulfilling your rainy day blues. His raspy, whiskey-bitten voice hisses through 11 songs, sending listeners on a very satisfying musical journey.
The album is a great throwback to folk rock with twang, simple solos, and fingerpicking that makes one feel like they are on a trip back to the 1960s. He adds rock instrumentation that blends nicely with the vocals and acoustics featured throughout the album.
Songs such as “Black Crow” and “Head for the Hills” are the highlights of the album. They follow suit with the rest of the album, but both featured aspects unique enough to stand out.
“Black Crow” is a slow, folky rock song that features Rose lightly singing over top of a heavy guitar riff and steady beat. With lyrics such as, “This old lonely road always felt like home,” the song is eerily haunting when combined with the painful melodies backing him. The highlight of the song is when Rose steps away from the microphone to let the steel guitar scream out from over top of the gentle piano and soloing guitar.
Upbeat songs are a bit limited on this album, but “Head for the Hills” definitely delivers. The song starts with an addictive acoustic strum which is replaced by an evenly stellar electric guitar featuring licks that you would find on a Jimi Hendrix album. The distortion plays back and forth with the acoustic undertones eventually succumbing to its rhythm.
This is an impressive debut album from a rare musician. His voice never hits that climactic point in any song, but it still leaves us with a very satisfying and emotionally charged performance. This album is an outstanding kick to Rose’s career and an effort that I see sticking around for quite a while.
Grade: A+
