By Patrick O’Heffernan, Host Music FridayLive!
The duo of Alyssa Coco and Matt Merritt, known as Roses and Revolutions, have produced an EP whose songs speak directly, personally and urgently to the listener, encased in a melodic environment that draws you deeper in with every chord. Every song is a winner. The EP is a stunning debut.
Transfixed. Sucked under. Enthralled. Spellbound – these are the kind of words you need to describe what happens to you when you listen to the music of Roses and Revolutions. Alyssa Coco’s voice speaks directly to you, personally and urgently. And that voice comes encased in a melodic environment that she and her partner Matt Merritt spin like magic, drawing you deeper in with every chord. The self-titled EP the duo has recently released is flawless: every track is a winner, an earworm that embeds itself in the pleasure centers of your brain. Which may explain why it debuted at #1 on iTunes bestselling Singer/Songwriter EPs & Singles chart and #22 on Top Albums.
The 5-song EP showcases Alyssa’s American Idol-trained voice – she made it to the Hollywood round in season 7 – and the magical way Matt Merritt and Alyssa Coco build a song that is perfectly crafted. Every note reflects how they start from the ground up, beginning with vocals and guitar or piano and adding instrumentation that supports, rather than dilutes, the original song concept as it builds.
The EP begins with the fast tempo “Take me With You”, whose very funny, celebrity-referenced video you can see on the couple’s YouTube channel. Alyssa’s plea to “take me with you” is one we have all made, so we can easily feel what she means when she sings What do you do when luck loses you?/Give it up? Or keep on trying. Her answer is to keep trying and she and Matt bring it to us with sophisticated percussion and carefully nuanced piano. “Take Me With You” does what Roses & Revolutions does so well – encases lyrics that make you think in music that makes you feel good.
The EP moves into more serious territory with “These Walls” a song that springs from Alyssa’s struggle with OCD. Driven by a steady but carefully bridled piano, she faithfully communicates how the battle in her head can overtake her. The claustrophobic lines feels like the walls are caving in/And I canʼt get out, /I canʼt get out/Feels like the sky is crumbling down/And I canʼt get out, I canʼt get out make me shiver. She is joined in this version by her long-time family friend Elvio Fernandes and the final product is habit forming. A triumph of a song.
“Down” is the most achingly personal cut on the EP, with Alyssa’s voice modulated slightly to sound like it is distant but inside of your head at the same time, shifting from choir to seductress. The instrumentation and production, which the couple share, puts a knife into your heart with minor chords and the lines My heart bleeds you /My heart is bruised as it bleeds you/ There is nothing I can say or do. Violins, cello and piano carry the lyrics like a warm wave washing over you followed by a tidal surge dragging you out to sea. The final crescendo when Alyssa’s repeats over and over the refrain I feel it coming/feel you coming/Feel us coming down is stunning. Set it on repeat.
“Boomerang” pulls the mood up with a quickened beat and a determined spirit dancing through a muted kick drum, light snare licks, rising piano and Matt’s superb guitar work. Alyssa happily tells us You can throw me away/But I’ll keep coming back, always come back to you and the song flows, lilts, pirouettes and tickles us. But as with the Roses and Revolutions other songs, the music makes you tap your foot and smile while the lyrics make you think.
Any song on this EP could be a hit; every song is a winner. As a debut, Roses and Revolutions is spectacular. I expect we are going to see a long line of hits from these two young talents.
Patrick O’Heffernan, Host Music FridayLive!
Roses and Revolutions
by Roses and Revolutions (Alyssa Coco and Matt Meritt)
available at http://www.rosesandrevolutions.com/ and iTunes
5/5
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