Rosie Carney: I Wanna Feel Happy – Quality and depth

Is there anything this Anglo-Irish singer and songwriter can't do? Simply put, Rosie Carney just keeps getting better and better. From her 2019 debut album, Bare, and 2020's lockdown release of Radiohead's The Bends (a particularly accomplished track-by-track offering) to I Wanna Feel Happy, she has not only delivered quality but also depth. The latter can be discerned from the title of her new album but there's much more to it than that.

If Carney’s natural inclination is to express mental health issues in a way that highlights her own occasional struggles, then she does it honestly and courageously. If her renditions of songs from The Bends refracted mental health challenges through the lens of other musicians’ songs, then I Wanna Feel Happy brings it back to a personal square one.

The song titles are spoilers as to Carney's concerns (Ceiling, Tidal Wave, Time Waits For No Waiting Room, Send Me Home, the title track) while the music styles highlight a range of influences that include Taylor Swift's 2020 album Folklore (Break the Ground, Ceiling, Tidal Wave), Olivia Rodrigo's 2021 album Sour (Dad, Time Waits For No Waiting Room) and hints of Radiohead (Send Me Home). If this sounds too familiar, be advised that Chihiro (named after the young female character in Hayao Miyazaki's 2001 film Spirited Away; its literal meaning is a "thousand questions") sees Carney cannily transform her secrets into confessions. rosiecarney.com