'Hi my name is ro' is the handle that greets you when tracking her online and almost prises the response 'nice to discover your music' once the debut album is listened to. The artist in question is Ro Myra. A new name to many and another welcome recruit to the ever fulfilling sound putting an alternative indie tilt to lo-fi folk Americana. Among the first things to greet you upon gazing the cover are an evocative title in NOWHERE, NEBRASKA and a desolate image of miles and miles of nothing. From an element of space to be filled, attention switches to seven songs meticulous spun, and the air soon fills with a swirling array of tunes sweeping up the emptiness in a comforting blanket of attentive music.
To fill in a few details, Ro Myra is a Nashville-based artist and original native of Nebraska. No surprises for the link there. The album is self-produced and the solo status extends to the composition of each song. The calling to be a recording artist came after years spent in education reform and academia. On the evidence of the riches from this thoughtful, impactful and fulfilling debut album, you can tell who the winners are.
A number of singles have been released in the run up to the unveiling of the whole album including the dreamy and sensual opening track 'Half the Time', one with more than a touch of indie chills and a feeling of building up. This is followed by a similarly felt track in 'Mama' inducing a permeating presence and blessed with some neat guitar parts. Matters take a significant upturn when the majestic 'Jump into the Water' explodes from a beat-laden beginning to mean business. For me this track is one of two album peaks, sharing the other with the energetic single 'She's Not the Road'.
Splitting the two peaks in the running order is the experimental 'More Than Just Okay' where a different texture tantalises your earbuds and you get the first faint sound of pedal steel to add some slight twang. There are similar vibes in the seductive 'Irene' that proves to be the penultimate track and yet another seeing life as a single. The final track also had an airing prior to full album release and 'Railroad Weed' probably makes the greatest claim for defining what this album is perceived to be; one billed as a personal recollection but also encapsulating the lonesome sound of the Nebraska plains.
Mark the name Ro Myra and the album NOWHERE, NEBRASKA on your check list. It will be a half hour well spent, and one supporting an artist making a successful move to fulfil a calling.