Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter John Roseboro is a rising star in jazz, with post-bossa, indie music that is at once delicate and trailblazing. Roseboro is still relatively new on the scene and has a unique past which includes living with the Amish and working as a mortician. In 2021, he left behind his life in California to move to New York and assembled a band, beginning with a neighbor who happened to stop by. As organically and poetically as his musical career began, so is his poignant and beautiful sound. Roseboro has spent his musical career pushing for authenticity and individuality. Despite receiving many record deals, he has turned each of them down in the pursuit of maintaining his craft without submitting to exploitative offers. He now operates his own DIY record company, Public Confession Art House. Since 2020, he has been releasing music, with his newest single being “I Did The Math”.
On the single, Roseboro collaborated with sign crushes motorist, an indie rock project by Northern Irish artist Liam McCay best known for meditative bedroom pop. That influence is definitely heard in “I Did The Math”, as it takes a more atmospheric approach than much of Roseboro’s music and features McCay on violin, backing vocals, and rhythm guitar. Still, the track features much of the iconic warm guitar strumming and buttery vocals that make John Roseboro’s music so rich and engaging.
Throughout the song, Roseboro covers aging, life, and relationships. He opens by stating that he is “200 in dog years,” and later sings, “front yard’s dandelions, back yard’s four leaf clovers / 30 grand sunsets and it’s all over.” By using these common symbols of suburbia, he makes a biting comment on the passage of time and both the mundanity and beauty in it. As the song comes to a conclusion, a sweeping tenor saxophone solo accompanies the lyrics, “Counted the cost and / Took a chance,” highlighting how there is risk and bravery even in the everyday.
“Front yard’s dandelions, back yard’s four leaf clovers / 30 grand sunsets and it’s all over”
Overall, “I Did The Math” is the perfect start to your mid-summer soundtrack. From its straight-ahead feel to its contemplative, bewitching vocals and instrumentals, this single is undoubtedly one of Roseboro’s best. He once stated in an interview that, “artists are supposed to be cultural leaders, not followers,” and that holds true as he continues to redefine jazz and the role of an artist in the music industry today.
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