Album review: Dorothy – Gifts From The Holy Ghost

The enigmatic neon demon vibe of Gifts From The Holy Ghost’s artwork may cause you to think that Dorothy Martin has diverted from her trusted mainstream rock path on album number three, hinting at a more subversive sound in line with rock-influenced experimentalists like Halsey. It’s a bit of a red herring, because beneath the cover Gifts… is a hot-blooded rock’n’roll record through and through.

Sticking to her guns actually proves to be a smart move for Dorothy by playing to her strengths as a truly badass performer. She rivals Lzzy Hale for power and sass on Big Guns, roaring defiantly in the face of a toxic relationship over a greasy blues groove. Meanwhile, her band display their classic rock muscle on Hurricane, pushing a buzzsaw riff into a leather trouser-clad chorus that recalls Whitesnake at their stadium slaying peak. Even the dated '80s tom rolls make you want to punch the air without irony.

By the same token, these big blustery songs also lay bare Dorothy’s limitations, both as artist and band, namely that they only have one setting: Michael Bay style overload. It works fine for pyro-blasting songs like Beautiful Life, but on weepy piano ballad Close To Me it just feels overwrought to the point of making even Adele sound subtle. It also doesn’t help that, despite nearly 10 songwriters being credited here, many lyrics feel like they were written by mixing classic rock fridge magnets, dealing in vague notions of defiance and damnation (‘Hell on my heels, but I won’t back down').

Still, it would be a truly jaded listener who can’t enjoy the horn-throwing call of ‘Hail! Hail! Black sheep,’ on Black Sheep, a song for the fans celebrating rock’n’roll camaraderie. For those about to rock, Dorothy salute you.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Halestorm, Greta Van Fleet, The Pretty Reckless

Gifts From The Holy Ghost is released on April 22 on Spinefarm