Dot Allison - Room Seven and a Half
Gentle (maybe a little too much) and delicate are the first words that come to mind when thinking about ‘Room Seven and a Half’, the new release from Dot Allison.
The problem with this album, is that the majority of the songs all sound so alike. There is the consistent acoustic guitar rhythm and tender keys subtly moving through the tracks. Sometimes a track will focus particularly on one element, like ‘Fall to Me’ and its adoring piano melody and string arrangement. But there is rarely anything to surprise you or make you sit up and pay attention. The only tracks that do show some diversity are ‘Johnny Villain’, which sounds more like a nursery rhyme or a poem to music with its lyrics, and country harmonica feel. Then the concluding track ‘Portrait of the Sun,’ which stuns as it gains a dance beat of all things. Although it doesn’t fit in because of the extreme change in sound, it is something different from the remaining tracks.
Vocally, Dot Allison has a voice that is so tender and placid that it does suit the style of music, but gets quite dreary after eleven songs. The songs may not sound very innovative, but if you sit back and listen to the lyrics, there is certainly a lot of talent. ‘Buzzing Round the Honey Pots’ for example is one that stands out for lines such as ‘you’ve been pollinating other flowers’.
Dot Allison has collaborated with a few artists through her career and on this record she has two. ‘I Wanna Break your Heart’ features Pete Doherty. His rugged vocals are present mainly on the chorus and it is at this point that the track really breaks lose. These two vocals are very different yet compliment each other quite well; if the album had more songs as diverse as this it probably would have left more of an impression. Likewise, ‘Loves got me Crazy’ may stay as delicate as the previous tracks but with Paul Weller’s tougher vocals the two sit perfectly together.
‘Room Seven and a Half’ will be the perfect album if delicate and very tender music is what you find quite moving. Don’t expect anything more than this or you’ll be disappointed.