Album Review: Saloon Dogs - Shooting Star (Self Release)

SHOOTING STAR has been a very slow train coming. Recorded by the newly formed Saloon Dogs, shortly after the breakup of their previous band The Bogarts in 1995, the band's debut album lay dormant for the next fourteen years after they folded in 1997, before the band had chance to release it. The four band members Billy MacInnes, Maria Gallagher, Phil Taylor and David Longworth obviously worked hard to subject these ten MacInnes originals to tape and it only seems right to finally see this release, even after all this time.

Like some unearthed artefact, the album emerged in March this year and carries with it a memorable piece of history for all involved. The songs have a distinctively acoustic sound and come over as delightful folksy pop songs, but with an immediacy that would indicate they would very definitely suit live performance. At times Billy MacInnes vocal comes across as a strange mixture of Nashville Skyline-period Dylan and Housemartins/Beautiful South's Paul Heaton, which is a vocal affectation that suits the songs on this album quite well and together with some sweet harmonica accompaniment, jobs a good 'un, as they say.

Opening with When I look In Your Eyes, the band fall into an immediately pleasing groove augmented by MacInnes' lead vocal and Maria Gallagher's tailor-made harmonies. Unafraid to take on other rhythmic influences, the band borrow from World Music with I Never Thought She Would Ever Make Me Cry, which employs an instantly infectious rhythm that at times leans towards something Paul Simon might have been doing pretty effectively with African music a decade before.

You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Love Me provides the album with the most radio friendly composition, which not only has the catchy rhythm that gets a hold of the listener, but also has that all important hook line 'but it helps'. The two most soulful songs on the album are the title song, which incorporates Longworth's lilting organ, a must for all self respecting soul classics and the closing song How Could He Break Your Heart, which features a sweet slide guitar part courtesy of producer Keiron Hunter.

A lot can happen in fourteen years and the Saloon Dogs have been separated by distance, by marriage, families, children and a whole bunch of other things that happen in life. It must be gratifying for the members of this band to know that their labours have not gone entirely unnoticed and it would seem a good time to consider a reunion. Maybe some live dates? Maybe a follow up album? Let's hope it doesn't take as long this time.

Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky