CD Review: Haroula Rose, “Someday”

She went to Spain on a Fulbright scholarship, but Haroula Rose is firmly rooted in Laurel Canyon on her debut EP, Someday, a dreamy, beautifully packaged five-song effort that features backing from studio ringers like accordion player to the stars Phil Parlapiano. Vocally, Rose comes across a little like Suzanne Vega’s kid sister, although Rose hasn’t yet developed the artistic wanderlust that added some much-needed spice to Vega’s post-Solitude Standing efforts; every song on Someday is cut from essentially the same folk-based, country-flavored pop cloth, and while it makes for some exceedingly easy listening over the course of a 20-minute EP, it’s hard not to wonder how Rose will be able to hold a listener’s attention with a full-length album of this stuff.

According to Rose’s press kit, she traveled all over Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa during her Fulbright years, and “was inspired by the music and cultures.” You wouldn’t know it listening to Someday, though. If she can find a way to incorporate that inspiration into subsequent efforts, she might be on to something special — but in the meantime, Haroula Rose is just another pretty voice. Recommended for hardcore fans of relentlessly gentle singer/songwriter pop; for everyone else, it may prove nap-inducing.