The Henry Girls
Album: Louder Than Words
Label: Beste Unterhalt
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.thehenrygirls.com

OK, let's get the potential misconceptions out of the way first. The Henry Girls have no hint of a Henry in their personal identity, being in reality a trio comprising Donegal-born sisters Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin, who play fiddle, accordion/ukulele and harp respectively but also all sing - strongly, clearly and attractively and with a natural poise and grace that entirely suits the appealing, accessible tunes which they supply for their own compositions.

These make up the lion's share of Louder Than Words, the trio's fourth CD, and there certainly are some very fine songs here - for instance The Light In The Window, the delicate Home and the gently rocking No Matter What You Say, all sympathetically and fairly lightly scored, and quite incidentally displaying an almost effortless musicianship. Having said that, the final track, Here Beside Me, is rich in vocal harmony but accompanied only by Hammond organ from the disc's producer/co-arranger/engineer Calum Malcolm, with the Inishowen Gospel Choir in tow (their singing also graces a couple of other tracks). Added instrumental colours elsewhere come courtesy of guest musicians Ted Ponsonby (acoustic and resonator guitars), Liam Bradley (percussion), Nick Scott (bass), Denise Boyle & Damian McGeehan (fiddles) and a trio of brass players (whose contributions do however seem to mildly overload the otherwise compelling western tale of James Monroe).

The sweet'n'softly-brushed approach borders on over-cute on one or two songs, especially The Weather, and there are other moments where even the sisters' neat harmony vocal work doesn't quite redeem the slightly cloying overall tone - this is clearly an element the band will need to keep in check, otherwise they're likely to lose their edge. For The Henry Girls have been favourably compared to Dixie Chicks, and one can see why, although their approach and demeanour is still (thankfully) altogether less mainstream. It's also quite soothing (and therefore uniformly pleasing) in its general impact.

Finally, to the album's two covers: Springsteen's Reason To Believe works surprisingly well in context, being taken at a measured funky-gospel groove, while John McBreen's So Long But Not Goodbye receives a wistful, easygoing treatment (somewhat ironically, that easy feel pervades the following swing-contoured number It's Not Easy!). OK, it's true that the whole album exudes easy - easy assurance and easy listening, yet the lyrics aren't without a satisfying degree of depth and the charm of the sisters' delivery is not to be underestimated.

David Kidman