Roses Are Black sounds like gold for Austin Collins
Thursday, February 28th, 2008 
Sometimes you pick up a new album and you don’t really know why. Nor do you know what to expect. I had heard of Austin Collins from his debut album “Something Better” and more specifically, the song 22 Hours, so when I saw “Roses Are Black”, I was intrigued to see what it was about. Collins definitely has a unique sound and songwriting ability. I’m not even sure if it’s country, but that doesn’t really matter because I liked it. I think some people call this “alt-country”, whatever that is. But whether it’s country or alt or soft rock or whatever you want to call it, Collins sings with honesty, emotion, and passion that allows him to pull off this kind of sound, where the tempo of the album rarely, if ever, changes throughout the twelves songs.
Much of the credit for the greatness of this album should be given to the Collins’ band, the Rainbirds - Craig Bagby on drums, Dylan McDougall on guitars, and Troy Wilson on bass - as they provide outstanding consistency throughout. The opening song on this album is the intoxicating, accoustic 11 Months. The song paints a detailed picture of a doomed relationship that never had a chance. The lyrics and the mood of the song are an excellent opener. Following are a couple of songs about relationship and conflict - Broken and Witching Hour. The title track, Roses Are Black is a song about how a lot of people live their lives - “you go with what’s easy because it makes you feel safe” - taking the easy road and avoiding struggles to get places. Collins clearly doesn’t do this as he should be making quite a mark in the music business on this album. However, in Out Loud, Collins sings about fighting in a relationship but taking the easy way out and not fighting “out loud”. One of my favorite lines from this song is “cuz you’re like a ghost to me; can’t be touched; can’t be seen.”
In the emotional Unapology, Collins sings to the girl that has done him wrong. It’s a great f&^% off song but with a nice calm musical tone. He doesn’t play the gentleman line and act like he’s happy and moving on. Instead he says she’s “entitled to the grace that she won’t show.” Bridge Street Lullaby is probably the best song on this album. Can’t Say This At Home, the soft rocking song Eight Dollar Thrills, and Today continue the emotional theme of life and consequences. House Without Windows and Goodbye Houston show more of Collins raw emotion that he puts into his music and again the music wonderful illustrates the mood of the song. House Without Windows has a beautiful lyrical sound, but paints a dark, cold picture.
In Roses are Black, Collins allows the listener a keen look into the singers life. The album highlights Collins’ unique writing style and the dark, emotional passion of his music, clearly real-life personal experiences. Collins has not compromised that, nor has he compromised his talent and style with Roses are Black. Collins has successfully brought his emotional experiences to light with this innovative vision. I’m not sure that Austin Collins or Roses are Black are right for everybody’s taste, because it is different, but it works for me. I’d suggest you give it a try, go into with an open mind, be honest with yourself, and you might find that you’ve stumbled on solid gold with Roses are Black.
