It becomes quite difficult commenting on releases I’m more personally invested in, so I’ll keep this one relatively short. Mark Rose, former vocalist of the greatly missed Spitalfield has spent the better part of 2 years writing and recording what has become The Greatest Lakes sessions. The seven song EP is a fantastic collection of sultry blues pop a la John Mayer. In fact, in a sense this is Mark Rose’s Continuum. Filled to the brim with smooth bass lines and soothing melodies, the record is a testament to Roses’s versatility as an artist. While many of the EP’s tracks have appeared in various stages of their development through Mark’s myspace page, the mixed and mastered versions sound clean and crisp. If there’s any issue to be taken with the effort it’s the similarity among the tracks on the debut - but perhaps the forthcoming LP (hopefully sooner than later) will offer a little more variety. Additionally, while I myself enjoy the faint husk in Roses’s vocal delivery (it actually fits the music quite effectively), it would have been nice to see him stretch the vocals out a bit in some of the samplings.

All things aside, The Greatest Lakes should certainly provide satisfaction to long time fans just happy to have Mark still present in the scene, while also offering a taste of the new direction in sound he’s emarking on post-Spitalfield. With this debut release, the future seems bright for a fulfilling solo career. Good to have you back Mark.