As the world continues to be plagued by plague, pestilence and famine, what we need more than ever is a hefty dose of good karma to readdress the balance somewhat. That karma arrives in the shape of Anna Howie’s latest album Good For Roses, an eleven track album that radiates good vibes and acts as a musical balm to soothe our troubled times. Proving that her debut album was no fluke (lockdown’s The Friday Night Club), this sophomore release takes all that was good about that record and refines it to put a quintessentially English spin on Americana.
Some albums hit you like a splash of cold water to the face whilst others make a more humble entrance and Good For Roses definitely falls into the latter category. With a softly spoken whisper counting the band in, ‘Bring Me Love’ is a bud slowly opening in warm spring sunshine and like a lotus flower blossoming, it takes on new form as the song progresses. If The Friday Night Club was born from the strict confines of the pandemic, then Good For Roses has a sense of freedom and a playfulness which was suppressed on its predecessor. That sense of fun comes to the fore on the following ‘Start Again’. Punctuated by a staccato riff and furnished with warm sax and keys, Anna’s vocals wend their way through like an impish soul weaving through raindrops. It’s the perfect cure for narcolepsy and would have even the most ardent somnambulist dancing in their sleep. However, Good For Roses is an album that tries on a variety of different clothes and subsequently we get the emotionally-taut ‘Crazy’s For Horses’ nestling next to the brisk ‘Have It All’ and despite the sonic shift, they make for easy bedfellows.
Recorded at Bath’s world renowned Real World Studios, Good For Roses has been given an even handed production and it’s a studio that’s set up for a collaborative experience. Anna Howie’s vocals are undoubtedly the star and often tweet and trill like the sweetest birdsong (and no more so than on ‘Mind The Gap’), yet there’s no rampant ego involved and each band member is allowed a moment in the sun and this makes Good For Roses a multifaceted affair and one that fractures light in every direction like a laser cut diamond.
Another humble track to bookend the album is ‘Just A Little Bit’ a song that brings a touch a sadness but also suggests there’s much more to come, and I can’t wait until we meet again.
- Good For Roses is released via Absolute Label Services/Universal on 18th April 2025 (available here).
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Track List:
- Bring Me Love
- Start Again
- Crazy’s For Horses
- Have It All
- The Dance We Do
- Mind The Gap
- Everybody Knows
- The Gatekeeper
- Alive
- Opera House
- Just A Little Bit
