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AJ Rosales: Ultramarine

By Keith Hannaleck

Artist: AJ Rosales
Title: Ultramarine
Genre: Modern Rock, Folk Rock
Label: Novelty Records
Website: www.ajrosales.com
MySpace Link

Ultramarine is a modern rock/folk rock album written, produced and performed by the singer/songwriter AJ Rosales. Recorded at Gravity Studios in Chicago, Illinois, the album features Shawn Sommer on bass and Lucas Farran on drums. Unlike most albums today, that are recorded digitally, Ultramarine was recorded to tape, giving the album a raw and live ambiance.

From Chicago, AJ Rosales has released several prior albums, including Fatigue (1997), Earth and Shoal EP (2001), and the acoustic-based Resistor (2004). He has opened for bands, such as Vertical Horizon and Modern English.

Ultramarine is an album of straightforward modern rock songs with a dash of alternative. Songs like, “Alone Again,” “Nominate,” “White Sunshine,” and “Sneak Attack” are decently written rock songs, but strained vocals get in the way of good songwriting. The vocals are the weakest in the songs, “Brand New Offering,” and “What’s With All the Heartache.” In these songs, Rosales sings in a higher-range using falsetto, which honestly made my head ache. Songs like “So Sad” and “Breakdown” are more enjoyable because Rosales uses his lower range and the vocals are not as strained. Most of the songs on this album could have really benefited from some strong female vocals and harmonies.

The two best songs on the album are “Ultramarine” and “Letter to You.” “Ultramarine” is a slower folk rock song with a nice rhythm & blues, rock guitar solo. “Letter To You” is a haunting acoustic song, featuring a beautiful cello section performed by Alison Chesley. These songs highlight Rosales as a songwriter who can create very dynamic songs that move his audience.

Ultramarine shines brightest during its instrumental sections; this is when you can hear the songwriting at its strongest without the hindrance of vocals. “3:15,” a catchy instrumental jam of drums, bass, and guitar, brings out the instruments in their fullest sound. It is during this song and in the instrumental sections of the other songs on Ultramarine that Rosales greatest attribute is revealed: his ability to write dynamic chord changes and progressions.

Reviewed - March 14, 2008

Tracks:

Alone Again
Nominate
Ultramarine
What's With All The Heartache?
3:15
So Sad
Letter To You
Brand New Offering
Breakdown
Telekinetic
Breakdown (Reprise)
White Sunshine
Sneak Attack

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About the Author:

Keith Hannaleck, known as “MuzikMan” is a Journalist specializing in independent and major music reviews and the promotion of artists via the various media outlets flourishing online. He has worked closely with artists, management, publicity directors, and webmasters to provide some of the best and far-reaching coverage an artist could have. Focusing primarily on the internet as a medium for his work, Keith has been a pioneer in the industry changing the way a reviewer with his various talents are used by many artists, PR folks, and labels. He has provided strong and valuable work to labels, artists, and publicity people, writing reviews, press releases, and biographies and much more over the years, giving the people he works with the maximum amount of exposure through several top-notch websites that post his content on their sites.