Each moment on this album is picturesque. Painting scenes that are fully emotional ... — RBT

**Each moment on this album is picturesque…Painting scenes that are fully emotional if not haunting at times.**

THE GLOBAL TEXAN CHRONICLES
by Walter Price

Within the past year fans of weighty and poignant story-filled albums have been enthralled with releases by Terry Lee Hale, Angel Olsen, and Nadine Khouri, and now, we must add Rosanne Baker Thornley’s “Sorry I’m Late” LP to this shortlist. Brimming with beautifully constructed vignettes tackling the inevitables of life, mortality, and, ultimately, forging a legacy.

Each moment on this album is picturesque…Painting scenes that are fully emotional if not haunting at times. A journey through this storyteller’s Rolodex of memories, regrets, triumphs, and what ifs. Thornley’s phrasing leaves the listener hanging on every word. No hyperbole, Thornley has once again proven, among other artistic successes, she’s a masterful storyteller.

For context, I think it important to publish the entire album backstory, posted by Thornley on her Bandcamp page, “Busy in the background of living my life, I decided a few years ago to step back into my own Artist shoes. Songs by me, for me. Songs shared through my songwriter lens, eyes, heart, voice. It was a decision driven partially by wanting to let people know that, though I was writing with and for other Artists, that Artist me didn’t end with my last album.

“And now here we are a few decades down the road with “Sorry I’m Late”. A collection of songs that are like journal entries to mark the milestones I’ve gathered along the way with the narrative of life running through the album. Insights. Moments of awe. Losses. Lessons. A determination to continue on – each song based on something or someone who is or who has been part of my life.

“These songs were not written with the intention of meeting a premeditated goal, to fit a project criteria, or with a worry about ‘what will sell’. There are no fillers or good enough’s on this album. I was led to each song, compelled to write its story.

“This has been a while coming. Sorry, I’m late …”

The fact that this LP may get lost in the vast sea of formulaic TikTok-inspired pop releases is a travesty. So for the sake of a life lived and the art of heartfelt anecdotal truths in song, pour a glass of wine and let Rosanne Baker Thornley Sorry I’m Late take you on a journey…perhaps, have a tissue or two at hand.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE