Hothouse Flowers

The Irish band's first American release since 1993's excellent Songs from the Rain is a big improvement over 1998's disappointing Born, an album that nearly derailed the band. But the core trio of Fiachna O'Braondin, Liam Ó Maonlaí, and Peter O'Toole return to their pop-soul roots on Into Your Heart, with impressive results. As its title implies, these songs are typically moody, and the ballad-heavy collection could use more upbeat moments to spark the ambience, but this is still a stirring effort. Jumping off with a few pieces in the epic mode of their past successes, "Your Love Goes On" adds horns and the Dublin Gospel Choir to its inspirational lyrics, creating a thunderous, churchy singalong worthy of the band's best work. Ó Maonlaí is in excellent voice throughout. Confident, brash, yet sensitive, he anchors the music and even slips into a ghostly falsetto on "Better Man" when the emotional juices get flowing. There is a rather sappy '70s West Coast vibe to some of the tunes, which waters down "Alright" and makes it sound like something from an old America or Crosby, Stills & Nash album, a distraction even the prominent bouzouki can't overcome. Lead singer Ó Maonlaí doesn't do himself any favors when he tries to be Jackson Browne on the "These Days"-styled "Magic Bracelets," a tribute to deceased reggae master Joe Higgs, a friend of the bandmembers who recorded with them. Still, the singer's obvious passion pulls the outfit through the disc's weaker moments, which include adding unnecessary -- but generally not distracting -- drum loops to some tracks. A live acoustic traditional tune, "Sí Do Mhamó Í," is sung in Irish and comes complete with pennywhistle, closing the album in jig-worthy fashion and bringing the band's roots to the fore. Not as impressive as the trio of discs from the late '80s and early '90s that put Hothouse Flowers on the map, this is still a striking return to form that will satisfy old fans, even if it is unlikely to create many new ones. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide