Jasmine Rose Wilson, known as Baby Rose, releases her third album 'Yearnalism' on Secretly Canadian, delivering a collection of songs that traverse the emotional spectrum of relationships. The US soul singer employs her distinctive fraying contralto to convey the peaks and troughs of love, often teetering on the brink of emotional collapse.
A Voice on the Edge
On the slow-moving track 'The Reason', Rose acknowledges she has 'gone off the deep end', while in the vintage R&B number 'But, Nvm', she attempts to convince herself everything is fine even as she flees. 'Waiting on a train,' she sings, 'to take me somewhere you won't call my name.' These cinematic overtures are intentional: Rose contributed music to and appeared in the 2025 romantic comedy-drama 'Materialists'.
Musical Diversity and Depth
The album showcases a wide variety of musical styles. 'Better' is a melodically rich soft-rock track that shares the breezy lightness of Olivia Dean's recent album, painting a precise portrait of a kitchen standoff Rose eventually wins. 'Sunday' begins as a scratchy ballad reminiscent of Nina Simone before a string section and guitar transform the vignette into an epic. Throughout the 12 songs, Rose's voice remains the star, scuffing up guest Leon Thomas's smoothness on the lovelorn 'Friends Again' and adding extra grit to 'When I'm Gone', where she half-raps: 'You ain't got the motherfuckin' answers / You're a cancer,' over undulating guitar.
Emotional Authenticity
Even when songs like 'All My Love' venture into retro-soul territory without breaking new ground, Rose communicates true pain. By choosing to feel everything and revel in the drama, she kicks emotional numbness to the curb. 'Yearnalism' is a gloriously cinematic soul album that impresses with its breadth and depth, solidifying Baby Rose as a compelling voice in contemporary R&B and soul.
