Louder Than The Music

The Rose Sessions: Volume 2 is the second compilation to be released in support of The Rose Education Foundation with all profits of the album going towards that charity. Following on from the major success of the first volume of this album, DJ and producer Galactus Jack took the reins of this release and during October and November last year grabbed a load of friends, put them in a studio in Liverpool and recorded this collection of songs.

Where do you start with an album that is full of great artists? Let's starts with ex-Yfriday frontman Ken Riley who has recorded his first solo track since Yfriday ended last year. Ken has co-written with the legendary songwriter Graham Kendrick and recorded a stunning song called 'Victory Of The Cross'. The song doesn't vary too far in style and similarity to what Ken was producing with his band, but overall a great worship song, hopefully there will be more songs like this to come from this passionate singer songwriter.

Ex-band members of thebandwithnoname, Chip Kendall and David Strafford, also appear on this album, both offering a dance song to the compilation. Chip Kendall gives us a strong upbeat dance rock track with Solve It On The Dancefloor, a song that has fast paced edgy guitars with aggressive vocals - an exciting start for Chip's solo career. David Strafford teams up with the producer of this album Galactus Jack and together they give us the atmospheric Symmetry, a song that build and builds into a great energetic dance song.

A compilation album wouldn't be complete without some great female singer/songwriters, and on this compilation the strong female vocals come from the amazing Lindsey and 2010 LTTM New Artist Award winners Golddigger, both offering heartfelt honest songs in Hanging On and Down With The Dust. As expected, both songs show off the amazing vocal talent that these two artists have, with catchy lyrics these are strong tracks on the album that add another dimension to this varied compilation.

The list goes on and on, with tracks from amazing band The Steels, plus Ste Hedley, Jamie Hill, Matt Henderson, Roo Walker and Shane Beales. It's hard to take time out and speak about every song, but trust me on this one, they're all great tracks.

To sum up, this is a wonderful compilation album that will help support a great education program around the world. With a sublime selection of singers and songwriters, who each add their own vocal style and vibe on their songs, this is a creative compilation. Picking standout songs for this one has been very difficult, as there are many strong moments on this album. If you're a fan of any of the artists on this compilation, please spend some time and check it out. There are songs on this album that will get you dancing, smiling, make you think, and maybe even cry. The Rose Education Foundation does an amazing job, these songs and the album do a truly stunning job at helping support this great project. To find out more head to The Rose Education Foundation website.

Review by Jono Davies

LTTM Rating 5 out of 5 Stars
Standout Tracks
Down With The Dust
Hanging On
Monsters