Glasgow duo Doghouse Roses have been kicking around Glasgow for the best part of three years and this, their full-length debut, makes good on the promise hinted at on two EPs and a single (‘Greener is the Grass’) that they are something a little bit special.
Vocalist Iona MacDonald sings with an effortless clarity reminiscent of a young Sandy Denny and the aching expression of Natalie Merchant at her most mournful. It’s atmospheric stuff that strikes an engaging balance between tradition and contemporary storytelling, from the cyclical sobriety of opening track ‘Gone There’ to the driving rhythms of ‘Border Hills’.
Above all it’s a record brimming with ideas and cemented by some terrific, measured musicianship.
Rachel Devine
The List 29th Oct 2008
