ROWENA WISE – BAD THINGS FEEL GOOD

Described as a folk artist for much of her youthful career, Melbourne, Australia’s Rowena Wise moves past a singular description, encapsulating much more into her music than one might surmise. She just dropped her sophomore effort Bad Things Feel Good (Beloved Records / 22Twenty) and Wise is a pretty dominating presence. But let’s take a deeper look into her expansive style at play here.

No one can argue the fact that yes, some of Rowena Wise’s material is folk-inspired, like “The Anchor,” which has her voice atop a sole acoustic guitar, piecing together a few chords, with edges of ghostly strings making their way into the mix, which aren’t necessary but very welcome. It’s a beautiful composition based in simplicity but with edges marked in beauty. Honestly, this is what she does. Even on the opening “Home In This World,” as she coos around her guitar, deep horns or wind instruments seem to growl, and the imagery of her words almost places you right there with her. But make no mistake, Wise is a rocker too, and she allows everyone to witness her command of songs throughout. She allows distorted bangs of guitars to ring out on “Blood Ties,” imbued with a catchy melody and a forceful rhythm. The thick bassline and lower register of guitars are perfectly placed around her voice, which is both hypnotic and enticing.

Some moments are timeless, with unforgettable recordings that will find themselves repeated over and over again. “Sum Of Two” possibly remains a favorite here, which may reflect back to the days of old when the only thing one needed was a guitar and clever lyricism. That’s exactly what we get here. Yes, comparison is sometimes a thief of joy and a poor man’s limit, but I’m broke, and I can’t help but think of some of my favorite artists like Damien Jurado and Elliot Smith who could render a man to tears with such poignant songwriting, and this is what Rowena Wise does to me every time I hear this. There’s a beauty that may even evoke comparison to a “Landslide;” not so much as a comparison but allowing the listener to find themselves next to Wise as she performs it.

Rowena Wise has so much that can be unpacked with her second album, and she is a chameleon of sorts, with the ability to move to the beat of her own drum, or strum, creating Bad Things Feel Good, which has everything anyone could possibly need.