The third offering from powerhouse songstress Rose Carleo Time Is Now is a rockin’ dynamic release that will firmly establish this incredible
vocalist as one of the most vibrant singers on the Australian music scene today. Rose’s career is already well-documented, she’s had a string of hits in the country music scene and is revered as one of Australia’s strongest songwriters. Her tenacious vocals have always meant that she could sing anything, but it is with the rockin’-country-blues influenced tracks on her new album that Rose has really found her niche.

The first single, the title track – Time Is Now – smashed its way onto
airwaves at the end of last year and certainly made music fans sit up and listen. It was something different for Rose’s fans – a rockier, edgier
sound that aptly demonstrates that this soulful songstress has found her
home musically. She is the quintessential female performer – a strong,
proud woman who isn’t afraid to wear her feelings on her sleeve and
belt them out with such emotions that her songs evoke goosebumps.
For the first time in her 20 year career, Rose says she feels the most comfortable musically that she has ever been, and it shows. Time Is Now is jam-packed with hits, from the first track until the last, there are so many layers in each song that this isn’t a record that you can listen to once – it demands multiple plays and every track just keeps on giving. It is essentially a window into Rose’s soul and she has left no stone unturned when it comes to baring it all in order to be true
to herself.

“When you start planning a record, it has to be yours, as such,” Rose says. “Whether you’ve had a hand in writing the songs or not, you need to own it. I’m in a really great place musically and am making the music I’ve always wanted to make – raw, honest, and with heart and soul. Not that the others weren’t, but these are just more so… I think [the album]
says that I’ve lived a whole lot more life since my first release and that’s a fact! I think it also shows I’m more confident in myself, especially musically. It’s an honest album, warts and all – and I’m not afraid to say it!”

The time was right for this effervescent songstress to step into the rock domain. “I definitely wanted to write a rockier
album, more than the previous releases – it was a conscious thing,” says Rose. “The rest just fell into place. I guess I did
what came natural - writing four-on-the-floor songs with groove and heart, and then a combine that with strong
messages or stories. The elements of blues, rock and country came together well. You can’t always please everyone,
although that’s the aim, but I think it’s important to be true to yourself and then, that in turn will show in your music.”

Time Is Now was two years in the making. While Rose co-wrote the songs on the album with different people, she actively started storing up ideas in the lead-up specifically for the new album project. “I wanted to write this album about my life experiences over the last few years – good and not so good – with honesty,” says Rose. “There have been lessons learnt, some the hard way. The thing is, we all pretty much experience most of the same things in our lives, just at different
times in our lives. Sooner or later, you’ll all go through it or something similar. I guess that’s the aim, to make the songs universal so that all ages can relate on some level. All albums have a ‘theme’, mine this time was making the most of every day. The Time Is Now… don’t put off anything you can do or plan today. Some songs are reflective, some have a little angst too… someone said they felt it was a motivational album – hey, that’s positive, so I’m good with that!”

To help pull together that formidable vibe, Rose found some of the best players in the country to perform the album. With Mick Adkins on guitars [Rogue Sharks / Raise The Flag], Paul Woseen on bass and backing vocals [The Screaming Jets / Rose Tattoo], Ben Ashwood on drums [Rogue Sharks] and Steve Adkins on backing vocals [Rogue Sharks], the tight sound they created was exactly what Rose had in mind. “I wanted more of an energetic live feel,” she says. “So even
though the musicians on this album have their own projects also happening, we sounded like a rockin’ band. And now, subsequently, they’ll be coming on the road with me.”

Recorded and produced with multi-ARIA award-winning producer Mark Opitz, Colin Wynne and Mick [Adkins], Time Is Now marks a defining moment in Rose Carleo’s career so far. It’s an album she is intensely proud of, and rightly so. The album has so much to offer, as does Rose, and music fans – rock, country and blues alike – will all find something to delight at with this release. Don’t wait to listen to this album, the Time Is Now.