I would be lying if I said I was never a Pink fan, and I would be doing myself an injustice if I didn’t make it clear how obsessed I was. Ever since my mum accidentally purchased I’m Not Dead in 2006 (instead of a Norah Jones album) and thrust it to me in annoyance, I became quite the Pink fanatic. However, the eight year old me trying to pull off a goth-skater-girl kinda vibe ended up rather short-lived, as did my Pink phase. Now, under her real name of Alecia Moore, Pink has collaborated with Dallas Green (better known as City and Colour) to form You+Me. Their debut album, rose ave., is considerably more mellow than what we’ve come to expect of Pink who, whilst remaining in the pop genre, has always demonstrated a depth and strength of voice that sets her apart from the auto-tune junkies in her field. That said, I was sceptical to hear how she would jump from her current genre to a more folky sound; her collaboration with Dallas Green strips away the loud guitars and heavy drums and exposes her voice in a raw way rarely found within any of her previous albums.

The song ‘You and Me’ has a soft sound to it, as does most of the album. Moore’s vocals somewhat outshine Green’s in a defeat as one sided as Brazil v Germany in last summer’s World Cup (this is especially evident in the last chorus, and to be excruciatingly honest, the majority of the album.) This was to be expected, though, and what Green loses in vocals he makes up for with his guitar skills. He accompanies Moore’s voice well with soft plucked melodies along with low harmonies. This theme is maintained throughout the majority of the album, and whilst working well for the pair, creates songs sometimes hard to distinguish between (ironic, given one of the lyrics: “Don’t that sound like the same old song”). Each track is about love and relationships, and although hard for a female/male duet to sing about much else, it does become slightly tiresome. The songs are all sung with a sad tone about love, making this album a girl’s perfect accompaniment to a box of tissues and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, if you get my drift.

Harmonies are executed perfectly by Green and Moore, especially in ‘Gently’; Moore is slightly dominant over Green’s lower tones, though this isn’t overpowering. The melody is maintained with a solo guitar that works well with the two voices. ‘Love Gone Wrong’ is my favourite on the album and is the only track where Green fully shows the extent of his voice. He opens with a solo verse and sings it well without hiding behind Moore’s naturally monopolising and much stronger voice.

rose ave. is on the whole a good album. With Dallas Green’s guitar skills and Alecia Moore’s voice, we see the unlikely pair work extremely well together. And whilst my Pink obsession is not at risk of a relapse, the album is perfect for a mellow background soundtrack.

Chloé Maher

@chlohk