Rocktrospectiva: The Underrated Gem "Home" Turns 35

Released on 19 June 1990 is the second studio album by the Irish rock band Hothouse Flowers. It reached number 5 on the UK Albums Chart and 1 on the Australian charts, The album continued their exploration of Irish folk and gospel just like in their debut album, People, the record that introduced Hothouse Flowers to the world. But while Home is every bit as good as People, it lacks an obvious standout track in certain way.  Nonetheless, several singles were released from this disc, namely "I Can See Clearly Now," "Give It Up," "Christchurch Bells," Hardstone City" and "Movies." 

 

About the record, the listener can clearly appreciate the shadow of Van Morrison looms large over Home, from the slow, piano-driven ballads "Sweet Marie" and "Shut Up and Listen" to gospel choir-backed rockers like "Giving It All Away" and their cover of "I Can See Clearly Now." But Hothouse Flowers aren't simply a pale imitation of their influences, though, and their songwriting and musicianship are excellent throughout. 

 

From the clever anthem "Movies" to the Eastern-tinged "Water," Hothouse Flowers have created a masterful collection of pop songs. Home is an underrated gem. If the band's first album achieved great success, what does the people didn't expect to see was that this record definitely overpass their early success charting in several countries peaking at No. 1 in Ireland and No. 2 in the UK. 

 

Keeping the same line-up and producers tandem on this album, and among the five single released, it was "Give It Up" their finest and plus succesful, a total hymn with a blend of soul, gospel choirs and indie rock spreading positive vibes with its enthusiasts choruses and catchy verses covered by a restless piano, another good track here was Johnny Nash's cover "I Can See Cleary Now", a version marked by a long piano intro before singing, gospel choruses, a brilliant sax solo that highlight the whole tune, the mid-tempo "Movies" root rock with a dynamic rhythm base to empowered the singer and the lines, "Christchurch Bells", a fine melodic ballad boosted by a vocal powered interpretation by Liam O Maonlai, "Hardstone City" a blues-rock melodic tune full a charge and energy vibes is another remarkable tune on the record, then, the rest of the album is worthy a listen with another four nice ballads, like the six minutes tune "Sweet Marie", a folk acoustic ballad with piano arrangements full of sensibility, the vibrant and happy "Shut Up And Listen", the melancholic "Home" full of sorrow and yearning, and "Trying To Get Through" with its grave vocals overwhelming the instrumentation here and one of the most convincing tunes on the album. 

 

The heartland-rock/pop on "Giving It All Away" with a punchy sax solo, the euphoria on "Eyes Wide Open" with slices of folk-rock and certain celtic coloured tunes that took us to the profound Ireland, another celtic rock tune with "Water" keeping the heartland-rock tunes with jolly choruses, the enthusiastic "Dance To The Storm" and to finish, the band bet for an old traditional song on "Seoladh Na Ngamhna" a traditional Irish tune reprise in 42 seconds and with a chant that emerged at the end of the account as useless. 

 

The critics praised the gospel-influenced rave-ups that punctuate the band's second album highlighted  full-blown horn tunes, like 'Hardstone City' and 'Giving It All Away'" and due this reasons, the album was considered an underreated gem.  

 

Home Track List:  

 

1. Hardstone City
2. Give It Up
3. Christchurch Bells
4. Sweet Marie
5. Giving It All Away
6. Shut Up And Listen
7. I Can See Clearly Now
8. Movies
9. Eyes Wide Open
10. Water
11. Home
12. Trying To Get Through
13. Dance To The Storm
14. Seoladh Na Ngamhna