The sway-worthy electric guitar that kicks off “All The Pretty Horses” – the opening track to the debut album from Balmain’s Charlie Horse – holds a lot of promise. So, too, do the twang-inflected tones of singer Crystal Rose.
Unfortunately, that promise of a hauntingly beautiful, Neil Young-esque experience isn’t quite fulfilled. When the first track finishes, the musical journey that follows seems haphazard – the album’s tracklisting doesn’t give a great sense of a story that warrants a start-to-finish listen.
The good news: as a stand-alone track, “Southern Voices” is one that would translate particularly well live, as would recently-released single “I Killed My Mind”. But the similarity between melodies and lyrics, and the occasional monotony of Rose’s voice, mean even the better tracks fade into insignificance after a few listens.
When the duo’s other half, Paul McDonald, shows off his pipes, it doesn’t offer the contrast needed to lift the tunes to the “I want to listen to THAT again” level. The reprise is a nice touch but fails tie up all the loose ends.
– Alice Eastman
