Doghouse Roses - This Broken Key

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 20 / 2 / 2011

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Review

Any review of this second album from Scottish duo Doghouse Roses should really be a glowing report of the guitar skills of Paul Tasker. Apparently inspired to take up the instrument after hearing Bert Jansch play in a club in Glasgow it shows in the style of his playing that Jansch and others of his ilk have been a major influence on this guitarist. Tasker is, quite simply, a master of his chosen instrument and his fingerstyle technique is a joy to listen to. Tasker is one of those guitarists you simply have to hear; words can’t describe just how good he is and if this album was just Tasker and his acoustic guitar it would still be worth every penny. But Tasker, as brilliant as he is, isn’t the only musician who shines brightly over these twelve original songs; vocalist Iona MacDonald all but steals the show here. There’s barely a review of ‘This Broken Key’ out there that doesn’t compare this duo to Fairport Convention and Pentangle and therefore Iona’s vocals to those of Sandy Denny and Jacqui McShee which although obvious comparisons are also a little lazy ; while there can be no denying that the sound the duo make owes more than a little to those folk bands both Tasker and MacDonald inject enough of their own originality to make their songs so much more than just remakes of Fairport and Pentangle past glories. A lot of this is down to not just to Tasker’s skill on the guitar but to MacDonald’s vocals. Sure, there are touches of both Denny and McShee in there but we can also hear a little of Gillian Welch here and there and MacDonald never fails to impress throughout the album. MacDonald is, without a doubt, one of the best singers currently in the country/folk/blues field. It’s no surprise to learn that MacDonald is an in-demand session singer; she really has an outstanding voice. One can wonder if, taken out of this setting, MacDonald’s vocals would be so affecting as she sounds so comfortable with these songs. It’s as if MacDonald’s vocal style was made for this genre, but there is no reason why the duo should ever abandon this style; all the time they can write songs as strong as those on ‘This Broken Key’ coupled with Tasker’s ability on the guitar and MacDonald’s pure vocals they will find an audience. ‘This Broken Key’ is one of those albums where your favourite song changes with each listen. While songs like ‘Survival’ where keyboards add more texture to one of the duo’s prettiest melodies and where MacDonald’s vocals will stop you in your tracks will never fail to impress even after a dozen or more plays, some songs which on initial listen seem to be solid enough country blues but nothing over-special like ‘Woodstock’ suddenly sneak up on you and become your new favourite for that day at least. The fact is that there isn’t a dull or dud song on this album. Some may take a little longer to work their magic on you but stick with them and the rewards do come. Having lived with the album for some time now it’s one of only a handful of current CDs that don’t have me skipping over at least a song or two. MacDonald’s vocals are so clear and Tasker’s playing so mesmerising that even songs that consist of only an acoustic guitar and those sublime vocals like ‘Trouble Gathering’ will have you captured for the duration. ‘This Broken Key’ is an outstanding collection of songs brilliantly played and sung and, although it won’t just appeal to those who rated early Fairport Convention and Pentangle, if the music of those bands touched you, then Doghouse Roses should be the next band you check out.

Track Listing:-

1 Atonement
2 Woodstock
3 Trouble Gathering
4 Thunder of the Dawn
5 Twisted Wheel
6 The Rain
7 Blue Moon on the Mountain
8 Any Kind of Love
9 Survival
10 Evermore
11 Devil in Me
12 The Highwayman

Band Links:-

http://doghouseroses.net/
https://www.facebook.com/doghouseroses
https://twitter.com/doghouseroses