Texas singer/songwriter Rosie Flores is releasing her latest single, “Drive Drive Drive,” on August 31. To celebrate the single’s debut, she’s having a single release party on the same day, at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul on South Congress Ave. As it happens, August 31 was announced to be Rosie Flores Day in Austin in 2006.
Despite the fact that Flores is a native Texan, “Drive Drive Drive” was recorded in Nashville. Flores plays the electric lead guitar and performs vocals on the track; she’s also joined by guitarist Kenny Vaughan, rhythm guitarist and co-producer Charlie Sexton, electric and upright bassist Dave Roe, drummer Jimmy Lester, pianist T. Jarrod Bonta and organist Mike Flanigin. The track will appear on her forthcoming 2019 album “Simple Case of the Blues.”
“Drive Drive Drive” features old-fashioned blues music with Flores’s soulful vocals. Her voice effortlessly switches between low and high pitch, and between smooth and raspy affectations. When it isn’t Flores’s singing that’s being showcased, it’s the guitar: there is a breakdown roughly halfway through the five-minute track that is largely a guitar solo. If you’ve ever heard classic blues artists like Buddy Guy, Bessie Smith or B.B. King, this single will have a familiar sound for you. It is, however, new territory for Flores, who has spent most of her career performing rockabilly and country music.
“I got infatuated with the blues in high school,” said Flores. “It was the first music I ever played. A high school friend taught me some chords and mentored me. He introduced me to the blues. He went on to play in the King Biscuit Blues Band, so I felt like I got a great early education. I always loved Buddy Guy — his real lyrical playing. It’s like his guitar is having its own conversation. It’s an ongoing process; I’ve mastered the life of a musician, but I’ll be working on the guitar for the rest of my life.”
While it has a somewhat typical mid-tempo beat that can be found in many blues songs, “Drive Drive Drive” has a more positive and upbeat tone to it than, say, B.B. King’s “Lucille.” It’s easy to imagine enjoying a road trip while listening to the song – giving it an apt name – or hearing it on a movie soundtrack. It’s sure to bring energy to the single release party on Friday, August 31, in Austin.
To learn more about Rosie Flores, her new music, or the release party, visit her website: https://rosieflores.com/wp/.
Featured image credit: Jared Tuten
Originally hailing from Pennsylvania, Jackie has called Austin home since choosing to attend the University of Texas, where she graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism. She loves spending time with her dogs, writing about pop culture in all its forms and spending time with friends – eating, drinking and doing trivia.