Full Review

Olivia Rose, Gold Review

Olivia Rose is a country music singer and songwriter from Elk Point, Alberta. From an early age, Rose was surrounded by country music. The sounds of legends like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton and the influences of current superstars Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift filled her life with music. Singing herself to sleep before she could talk, Rose was enamored by the storytelling and comfort within the country genre and began songwriting and performing at the age of nine. She was soon after crowned as one of the division winners of the 2009 Global Country Star Search. Rose’s lyric writing puts her emotional truth into heartfelt, relatable stories that mirror our own feelings, formative experiences, and fondest memories. In 2014, fresh from releasing her debut single, “Make Up to Mud,” she was pulled on stage by the legendary George Canyon. Rose has opened for Canada’s best – like Dan Davidson, Brett Kissel, and Aaron Pritchett. She was a Finalist in the intensive Project WILD competition in 2018, an 8-week artist development program at Canada’s Music Incubator in Toronto, and special recognition from her adopted city of Edmonton, including the Edmonton Music Awards’ (EMA) Rising Star Award for two consecutive years, the Edmonton Mayor’s Youth Award, and a nomination for Country Recording of the Year in the 2019 EMAs. Rose’s 2019 single, “Put It Like That,” has earned almost 120,000 Spotify streams to date and was added to regular rotation on CBC Country (Sirius XM). Rose is now releasing her latest single called “Gold.”

Bottom Line: “Gold” was Co-written by Rose and David Borys (Wes Mack, Kadooh) and brought to life by Juno and CCMA award-winning producer Bart McKay. Rose’s lyrics are a nod to the “solid gold” connection that one can form with a loyal best friend and partner. She says, “I want people to sing this at the top of their lungs in the car with the windows down. Having that perfect match in your life is such a rush, and I wanted to capture and celebrate the spirit of that feeling in the lyrics and flow of the song.” The pop-country song starts with a catchy guitar bend figure and a nice mix of acoustic and electric instruments. Rose’s voice is emotive, and she sings with a clear country style. Throughout the melody, the glissandos add character, and the song develops beautifully over time with added instrument parts to enhance interest and a solid guitar solo. The break-down builds to Rose’s upper-range, which is solid Gold. Dripping with drawl and sass, Rose has a voice that instantly grabs you. In invoking her full range of soaked sensuality, “Gold” has everything a country listener will be listening for. That’s the short of it!