One of the great things about writing this blog is that the boys I am interested in are always introducing me to some new music. This time it is Whitney Rose and her band, the support act for this leg of Alan Doyle's 'Come Out With Me' Fall tour of Canada and the United States.
To be honest I hadn't thought too much about Whitney other than looking at some social media posts on her official accounts. The post on Whitney's official Instagram account of her giving her followers the finger didn't really leave me with a good impression. Although I suspect some music fans like that kind of thing.
So during the first night of the tour I decided to give Whitney another chance and went to listen to some of her music on her official YouTube site. The first song that came up on a Whitney Rose You Tube Google search was the video for the song 'Can't Stop Shakin'. And gosh what a fabulous music video and song that is.
During the opening scene there is Whitney in a dark entrance (with the most awesome hair) signalling the video makers to start the music. She walks down the darkened hall into a simple studio with a tape deck and three gorgeous women dressed in sixties inspired clothing shaking their stuff.
Hang on a second. These totally drop dead gorgeous women are dare I say plus-size women. Women like me (although I look nothing like them). Plus-size women in a music video. Shaking their stuff so brilliantly and not missing a beat.
We never should make judgements about women by the way look and their size and all women should be recognised for other talents. But I so am thrilled to think plus-size women have something to offer artists and musicians and music video makers. And yes they can shake their stuff and look totally fabulous while doing it as good as anyone. Oh yes Whitney Rose is brilliant too.
To be honest I hadn't seen a plus size woman in a video since the totally awesome Adele. Size and hair colour shouldn't matter in the music and entertainment industry but they do. We shouldn't judge women artists and musicians by the way they look but some of us do, me included. We shouldn't but we do. I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn't. This music video is brilliant in it's simplicity and inclusiveness.
And after a couple of minutes of listening to the song I decided I absolutely loved it and Whitney Rose. I am a fan. I went on to look at some of her other music and I really enjoyed what I heard and the stories she told through music videos and music. I definitely liked her sound.
I also went looking for some information about the single and in particular the video because I thought is was unique. I found this article 'Premiere: Whitney Rose’s ‘Can’t Stop Shakin” Video Is A Feisty Country Throwback' by Caitlin White published on 31 January, 2018 on uproxx.com which briefly mentions the video and the use of a plus size ballerina in the video. I have copied the article here for those interested.
The images are from the official video 'Can't Stop Shakin'. No copyright infringement intended. I have circulated a copy of the video on my Google + page for those fans interested. No copyright infringement intended.
'Premiere: Whitney Rose’s ‘Can’t Stop Shakin'' Video Is A Feisty Country Throwback' by Caitlin White published on 31 January, 2018 on uproxx.com
Whitney Rose is a bluesy, brawling country singer from Canada who released not one but two excellent projects last year. First, her EP South Texas Suite reintroduced Rose as the follow-up to her self-titled 2012 debut, and a 2015 release Heartbreaker Of The Year. In the back half of the year, she put out Rule 62, a full-length effort that combines traditional swing and honky-tonk, and Rose’s killer vibrato to combine country’s rich history with its rebellious future.
Today we’re premiering a video for one of the feistiest songs off the record, “Can’t Stop Shakin’,” which Rose wrote on Inauguration Day, is about the anxiety we live in with the news and escapism on the dancefloor. The concept works — her lyrics could be interpreted as either a positive or negative reaction to the uncertainty in America of 2017 and beyond. Plus, the song itself is catchy enough to get your ass up and moving.
The clip itself features Rose rocking out alongside plus sized ballerina Frostine Shake, and other women who represent all kinds of feminine power. “This is my Rule 62 dance video,” Rose said of the clip. “Beyoncé hasn’t answered my calls for dance lessons yet so this is the best I could do. Luckily, I’m smart so I called my friends here in Austin who can actually dance. Just watch them.”
