(Cold Cowboy Songs, digital)
While living in Uganda with his family last year, singer-songwriter Michael Roberts bought a guitar at a music shop in Kampala. The Guilford musician was looking for a “beater” instrument to play while overseas, he explained in an email to Seven Days, so he picked up the nylon-string acoustic, which was “covered in ostentatious wallpaper.”
Roberts, who played with the indie-folk band Wooden Dinosaur and leads local honky-tonk act the Rear Defrosters, was charmed by the seemingly forgotten instrument. He dubbed the guitar “Rose Gold” and wrote dozens of songs with it — a reminder that an instrument’s magic is in its function, not its appearance.
Case in point: That guitar is featured on and serves as the namesake of Roberts’ latest EP. Released on February 12, Rose Gold is a six-song collection of folk and Americana that he aptly calls “small songs for complex times.”
Roberts’ collaborators help elevate his material. “Come See This Quick” is a perfect example: Chelle Martinez joins on vocals, adding breezy harmonies. Jeff Murphy’s bass and Hayden Lake’s drums anchor Roberts’ loping guitar, creating room for Asa Brosius’ swooning pedal steel, a true highlight of the track. The song, like the EP as a whole, is thoughtful and balanced thanks to its simple production.
Roberts sums up the theme of Rose Gold as “time and its passing.” Throughout the EP, he playfully juxtaposes big philosophical questions with the mundane realities of daily life. On “2030,” he sings, “You may have visions, hallucinations / build a universe of nations / A future full of granted birthday wishes / Yea I just wished for help doing the dishes.”
Over the course of the record, Roberts artfully layers complementary instrumentation atop the sweet tones of that nylon-string guitar. However, the album’s final track, “I Give My Life to You,” is stripped down to reveal the roots of the EP. Featuring a softly picked guitar lick and introspective lyrics, it highlights the musician’s songwriting abilities.
Warm and shimmering, Rose Gold is Roberts’ most engaging solo work yet. The new EP showcases his strengths as a lyricist who is both vulnerable and musing, personal and universal.
Rose Gold is available on all major streaming platforms. Roberts plays at the Copper Fox in Springfield on Thursday, March 27.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2025.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!