What sounds like a lovely continuation from the songs of her previous release, Prize has the gorgeous production, simplistic approach to songwriting, and intricately crafted instrumentation that makes Rozi Plain's music so worthwhile and compelling.
Picture this. You're out in your front yard and you're going for a walk around the neighborhood. It's a bit chilly but not too chilly, so you've got on a light windbreaker and a thin pair of joggers. You've got your perfect pair of New Balance 564 Core sneakers on. It's cloudy outside but you're seeing everything in bloom since it's hypothetically a morning during the Springtime (in a place that's not in the midwest, I mind you). As you're walking you notice the light breeze catching you and you notice the pink sun rising in real time. That's kind of the vibe I get whenever I listen to English singer/songwriter Rozi Plain's music. As well as being a member of UK folk band This Is the Kit, Plain provides a sense of calm and well-being within her music. Her tone is refreshingly still while her vocals are distinctly soothing with her light, delicate croon. I've been a fan of hers since her previous solo release, 2019's What a Boost, a sleeper favorite of mine that just keeps getting better and better as time goes by. Her combination of light airy instrumentation including gentle synths, folky guitar, lush harmonies, horns and jazzy percussion makes her style quite a beautiful listen on the ears.
Now four quick years later, Rozi Plain is back with another solo album. Prize, her fifth record under her own name, doesn't sound too distant from What a Boost despite the four year gap. The overall lightness, gentleness, and airiness that I described her previous work is still current and present as ever on this new album. What's a little bit more noticeably different is the added instrumentation of synthesizers and electronics. Some of the tracks here are much more centered around the synthesizer rather than the guitar or piano. While the overall breezy and dreamy vibes are still here, Rozi Plain is continuing to toy around with jazzier instrumentation and electronics, making this a complimentary continuation within her discography. "Painted the Room," for example, is focused on a blissful leading synth line that acts as the most memorable and catchy melody within the song. It's a highlight for sure, making Rozi Plain's music surprisingly danceable (I mean, I dance to her music all the time but I guess I mean "danceable" for the general audience). "Help" also aims focus on a light synths that brush past your ears ever so slightly along with some beautifully picked guitar (or harp...?). "Standing Up" has some surprisingly harsher electronics sweeping in through the song. Expectedly it's not too abrasive but it's a nice change of pace in the track listing and the added harmonies towards the back end are wonderful.
Some songs are much jazzier and have horns much more prominent in the foreground, like on "Spot Thirteen" or the closing track "Blink." I really enjoy the array of instruments within her music, especially the horns and I'm glad she's continuing to use them. "Agreeing for Two" is the lead single and it certainly deserves that spotlight. It's a classic Rozi Plain tune with a soaring chorus that rises like the morning sun, featuring UK jazz musician Alabaster Deplume. "Complicated" and "Conversation" are two other slow, graceful highlights while "Prove Your Good" has some of the best harmonies and slowly building progression on the album, especially on the "What do we want? Less / Do you want more? Yes" line.
The track listing does take a little lull towards the end by ending on four tracks that as great as they are, aren't huge highlights in comparison to the previous ones. The album's first half is so strong that it's hard for the second half to compete, but I'm not complaining about this by any means because the entire album is consistently great nonetheless. Overall though, Prize is a great album and it's a refreshing start to 2023. It's already one of the year's best albums for me and it's yet another great reason to dive into Rozi Plain's unique, beautiful qualities that are within her music. What sounds like a lovely continuation from the songs of What a Boost, Prize has the gorgeous production, simplistic approach to songwriting, and intricately crafted instrumentation that makes Rozi Plain's music so worthwhile and compelling.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Agreeing for Two," "Painted the Room," "Help," "Prove Your Good," "Complicated"
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