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Rosalie Cunningham, the former vocalist with psychedelic rockers Ipso Facto and Purson has recently released her third solo album, To Shoot Another Day to much fanfare. Rosalie, has been ploughing a lone furrow since releasing her self-titled debut solo album in 2019 and this third instalment sees her taking her brand of psychedelic rock/pop to the next level."

The album opens with the title track, "To Shoot Another Day", which sounds like the theme to an as-yet-unwritten James Bond movie. Cunningham has written a song that would hold its own against any of the many classic Bond themes. "Timothy Martin’s Conditioning School" is up next, it’s an up-tempo rocker that could have been written at any time in the last 50 years, with playful vocal delivery from Cunningham. That’s followed by "Heavy Pencil", a funky psych number with some Jethro Tull-esque flute, killer guitar work and Cunningham’s signature whimsical lyrics. "Good To Be Damned", takes things to the next level. Cunningham’s excellent songcraft is evident here, mixing her own brand of bluesy rock with something that feels far more whimsical on the chorus, she has created an epic slice of psychedelic pop. "In The Shade of the Shadows" is like a vaudevillian blues rock number that deserves to be heard by so many more people than it’s going to be heard by. Rosalie Cunningham is one of the finest artists of this era and deserves to be better known, but alas this sort of genius songcraft is often overlooked in favour of something far less colourful. "The Smut Peddlar" is a short but epic slab of instrumental bluesy hard rock that leads into the psychedelic folk-pop of "Denim Eyes". A sumptuously orchestrated piece with gorgeous vocal melodies that could rival the Beatles at their best. 

"Spook Racket" takes things back up a notch into a rockier territory, there’s a real early Uriah Heep cum 70s glam rock flavour to this one with some repetitive guitar riffs and heavy organ, however as the song progresses it moves into different territory with some lovely acoustic instrumentation towards the end. "Stepped Out of Time" takes things down a notch or two, giving Rosalie a chance to perform something a little more mainstream sounding (for the 1970s) and perhaps a little more balletic. "The Premiere" is one of the album’s strongest numbers, a real hard rock gem that sounds like it was written and recorded in another age. 

The CD version of the album features two bonus tracks, the first of which is "Return of the Ellington", which wouldn’t sound out of place on either Purson album. It has a real hard prog sound to it in places that I just love and the inclusion of some pretty odd time changes and some killer flute playing adds to the overall sound. The album closes with Home, which has a pretty fifties or early sixties doo-wop vibe to it. 

Overall, this is a very good record. Rosalie Cunningham wears her influences on her sleeve, however, she is also a very good songwriter in her own right and this is probably her most accomplished album to date. The mix of different styles, often within one song is outstanding and she is a seriously gifted musician who plays almost all of the instruments on this album herself, thus setting her apart from other modern musicians with a retro vibe. The CD is released via Cherry Red and Machine Elf Productions and is encased in a rather lovely digipak sleeve with a comprehensive lyric booklet. If you like your music with a real 60s or 70s vibe then there’s loads here for you to enjoy. To Shoot Another Day may well be one of the finest 70s records to be released in the 2020s. Essential listening.