Midnight Rose (album)

Midnight Rose
Studio album by
Paul Rodgers
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2023
Recorded2022–2023
StudioRoper Recording, Peachland and The Warehouse, Vancouver
GenreRock
Length32:12
LabelSun Records
ProducerBob Rock, Cynthia Rodgers
Paul Rodgers chronology
Free Spirit
(2018) 		Midnight Rose
(2023)
Singles from Midnight Rose
  1. "Living it Up"
    Released: June 23[1]
  2. "Take Love"
    Released: July 28[1]

Midnight Rose is a studio album by Paul Rodgers, of Free and Bad Company fame. It is his first album of original material since Electric (1999). It was recorded in 2022 and 2023 at Roper Recording in Peachland and Bryan Adams' studio, The Warehouse, in Vancouver.[2]

The song "Take Love" was previously worked on and played live by Rodgers as part of the Queen + Paul Rodgers project, although a studio version ultimately never materialised from the group.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters6/10[4]
Blues Rock Review9.5/10}[5]
Loudersound.com[6]

The album has received mixed reviews with Blues Rock Review praising it as "a totally satisfying set of eight rocking songs that demonstrate why Paul Rodgers is considered one of the best singer/songwriter/frontmen of the rock & roll genre."[5] PopMatters awarded it 6/10 with Michael Elliot saying the album, "signals the return of one of rock's greatest voices, which remarkably has not diminished over the decades and remains as expressive and powerful as ever, even if the material doesn't always match those golden vocal cords."[7] In a 3/5 review, Loudersound.com suggests that "there are flashes of brilliance – class acts will always be class acts – but there are also moments when one wonders bemusedly what the hell is going on here."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Paul Rodgers except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Coming Home" 3:18
2."Photo Shooter" 3:42
3."Midnight Rose"Cynthia Rodgers, Paul Rodgers4:00
4."Living it Up"Paul Rodgers, Rick Fedyk, Todd Ronning3:06
5."Dance in the Sun" 3:49
6."Take Love" 4:20
7."Highway Robber" 5:05
8."Melting" 4:48

Charts

Chart performance for Midnight Rose
Chart (2023) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 78
Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 46

Personnel

As per PopMatters,[7] and Blues Rock Review.[5]

  • Paul Rodgers - vocals
  • Ray Roper - guitar
  • Keith Scott - guitar
  • Todd Ronning - bass guitar
  • Rick Fedyk - drums
  • Chuck Leavell - piano
  • Chris Gestrin - organ
  • Leslie Page - backing vocals
  • Jimmy Mattingly - mandolin
  • Johnny Ferreira - saxophone
Technical

References

  1. ^ a b "Rock Icon Paul Rodgers Releases "Living It Up" June 23 in Advance of Eight-Track Midnight Rose LP on September 22". metalplanetmusic.com. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  2. ^ Lewry, Fraser (27 June 2023). "Paul Rodgers announces first album of new and original material this century". loudersound.com. Future plc. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Barton, Geoff (22 September 2023). "Paul Rodgers and run-of-the-mill band provide flashes of brilliance on new album Midnight Rose as the hyperbole rings hollow". loudersound.com. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Gersztyn, Bob (19 September 2023). "Paul Rodgers: Midnight Rose Review". bluesrockreview.com. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  6. ^ Barton, Geoff (22 September 2023). "Paul Rodgers and run-of-the-mill band provide flashes of brilliance on new album Midnight Rose as the hyperbole rings hollow". loudersound.com. Future plc. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b Elliot, Michael (2 October 2023). "PAUL RODGERS' NEW LP MARKS RETURN OF ONE OF ROCK'S BEST VOICES". popmatters.com. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Paul Rodgers – Midnight Rose" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Paul Rodgers – Midnight Rose". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 July 2024.