Wabash Valley —
Confidence sounds good.
After a decade in Nashville, Roxie Randle clearly knows how to turn emotion into music. In a self-assured voice, she delivers proof in a new five-song EP, aptly named, “Little Victory.”
The collection marks the third recorded release by the Wabash Valley native, who grew up in Hutsonville, Ill., and moved to Music City in 2001. Randle’s earlier compilations — “Live at the French Quarter Cafe” (2006) and “Something Real” (2008) — exhibited her strong vocal range and songwriting creativity, while wandering a bit for her stylistic niche. She’s obviously found it.
As her moods change song by song on “Little Victory,” so does the texture of those tunes. Yet, whether she’s dispensing advice, calling out an accuser, longing for a lifelong love, or exuding vulnerability, the conviction in Randle’s voice stays rooted as the aural settings shift. Sonically, the CD ventures more toward contemporary country, with a twist of blues, than her previous folk and Americana albums.
This disc opens with “You Don’t Know a Thing About Love,” an effort to remind a man — wounded in the past — to leave those troubles behind. “This is not a battlefield, this is your home; maybe if you trust me, I can show you,” Randle sings. Her yearning for a genuine partnership takes the next step in “Goin’ Nowhere,” when she declares, “It’s all or nothing, baby; I want a long-term kind of love; a real-life happy ending; that’s where I see us.”
In their catchy country form, those two songs dovetail neatly with the closer, “You Were Wrong.” In the finale, she firmly settles a score and asserts herself. “I am honest, I am worthy, I don’t deserve your reprimand; if you’ll listen, if you’re willing, maybe you’ll understand, you were wrong.”
Best of all, though, Randle explores fun territory beyond country on “Little Victory,” especially on tracks 3 and 4. Track 4 — “Learning to Fly” — samples a taste of ’70s AM pop while urging listeners to recover from failures. The chorus lingers in the mind long after its 3 minutes and 22 seconds end, and packs a memorable line: “Sometimes you fall as hard as you try.”
The third cut, “October Rain,” shines. Bluesy and sensual, Randle gently croons, “Take me over, and I’ll fall apart” over a quiet mix of guitars, bass and drums, deftly arranged by Nashville native and producer Eddie Gore. It’s effective. And, for a woman whose career goal is to entertain audiences, her new five-song offering is indeed a “Little Victory.”
Mark Bennett can be reached at (812) 231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.
Entertainment
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The CD: Roxie Randle's "Little Victory" marks the third recorded release by the Wabash Valley native.
Discussion
Valley native Roxie Randle finds ‘Victory’ in newest release
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