LINER NOTES


Whether she’s enticing you with come-hither invitations or giving a deadbeat beau the boot, Elizabeth Rose shows her depth and versatility as a wicked-smart contemporary singer/songwriter in Sleep Naked.

Elizabeth is a facile cross-genre writer, delivering an alluring, gospel-tinged lullaby in the album’s title track, “Sleep Naked,” while exhibiting her pluck in the strutting and self-assured send-off songs “I’m Too Beau’ful (for you)” and “One Last Look.” Her talents even cover Western Swing with “Back Seat Driver,” a good-time road trip replete with rapid-fire wordplay. Through it all, Elizabeth puts forth compelling turns of phrase and agile moments of melody,
both as composer and singer.

Even when she’s meting out stinging barbs, Elizabeth keeps
her good humor, as evidenced by “Enlightenment” (with its
erudite imputations) and “Oil” (an indictment of the fossil-fuel
industry). But she turns on an emotional dime to render a
heartfelt plea in the sultry, loping “Baby Please Come On Home”
and serves up a haunting, evocative reverie
in “Ferris Wheel.”

As if singing, writing, and leading the band weren’t enough,
Elizabeth lays down some serious guitarwork on Sleep Naked.  
On acoustic, she is equally deft comping jazz-chord passages
("Enlightenment") as she is fingerpicking Piedmont-style blues
("Leave Me Alone"). When she dons an electric, Elizabeth coaxes
slinky, lyrical lines from her Tele for “Sleep Naked” and punctuates
the simple acoustic-bass texture of “Baby Please Come On Home”
with tasty slide fills.

The band: Special mention must be made of the supporting cast—
a cadre of New York veteran musicians including Elizabeth’s
brother Bob Rose, guitar/mandolin. (Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder,
Herbie Hancock) and husband, Don Castellow, baritone sax
(Roscoe Gordon, Boz Scaggs, Pinetop Perkins).  Also contributing
to the production are Richie Cannata, alto sax (Billy Joel);  
Steve Gelfand, bass (Hall and Oates, Janis Ian,
“Cheers” theme song); Tony Kadleck, trumpet (Frank Sinatra,
Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder); Warren Odze, drums,
(Judy Collins, Dixie Carter); Dave Rickenberg, soprano sax,
(Woody Herman, Blood Sweat and Tears); and Mark Stewart,
cello, (Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney).  To infuse the
tracks with religion as well as reason, Elizabeth has drafted
Gospel and church musicians Eric Dozier (keyboards), Nate
Jones (bass), and singers Lawrence Davis, Stephanie Rice,
and Latasha Jordan (Harlem Gospel Choir, Harlem Messengers).
This panoply of diverse talent is expertly mixed and marshaled
by producer/engineer Shinya Miyamoto.

The 12-song collection Sleep Naked is a journal of emotions,
well wrought and insightfully captured. Aided by tight
arrangements and a cracking supporting ensemble,
Elizabeth Rose’s bluesy, soulful approach has a touch of
Bonnie Raitt, but with the insouciant funk of Rickie Lee
Jones and the lyrical sophistication of Cole Porter. Her music
can smile and wink at you—and even bite—but it blows gentle
kisses, too.  
—Jon Chappell, author “Rock Guitar for Dummies”.

Notes on the arrangement of “Leave Me Alone”:
I spent some long winter nights of 2003 working on this
arrangement. The idea came to me after I saw Danny Jenkins,
our friend Ken Jenkins’ (Dr. Bob Kelso in the TV sitcom,
“Scrubs”) son, in the revival of “Big River” on Broadway. It
was such an amazing show. Many of the actors came from
the Deaf West Theatre. There were two actors for each part,
one being deaf. Danny did so much of the heavy lifting, playing
Mark Twain and the voice of Huck Finn - he was brilliant.
I was very moved by the honest sound of the small band on
stage and went home inspired to arrange in this style. I am
very proud of the arrangement. I think Shinya thinks it’s a bit
busy. But what does he know? He went to Berklee too.

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