Louder Than Words

After playing together as The Henry Girls for more than a decade, sisters Karen, Lorna and Joleen McLaughlin from County Donegal have crafted an assuredly rootsy album of (mostly) originals that could well prove to be their breakout collection. Somewhat inevitably, they have already been likened to other harmonising siblings such as The McGarrigles and even The Andrews Sisters. The latter comparison is given a little weight by their arrangement of one of the two covers here, ‘So Long But Not Goodbye’, by contemporary Irish songwriter John McBreen.

But the essence of their achievement is to charmingly personalise their music, transcending most of the other obvious comparisons. Despite an unexpectedly sweet but surprisingly agreeable version of Bruce Springsteen's gruff’n’ready ‘Reason to Believe’, their graceful harmonies and accessible tunes rather better serve their own delicate and wistful material. ‘The Light in the Window’, ‘Home’ and ‘No Matter What You Say’ are especially successful and gently affecting, blessed with charming vocals and dressed with elegant musicianship.