With ‘Sweet Tooth Bird,’ Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Beth Jeans Houghton and her band, the Hooves of Destiny, combine simple folk melodies with some unusual vocal techniques, in the process creating a disorientating sound that can, at times, detract from the song itself. The almost psychedelic feel it engenders at its most eclectic leaves it almost too off-kilter to be wholly enjoyable.
Houghton’s voice is certainly distinctive, and is well supported by some brass instrumentation and frenetic percussion, but the song’s eccentricities can’t mask the fact that this is somewhat difficult to love. Nonetheless it has some great things in its favour, and the track’s bridge shows flashes of brilliance once it tones down the chaotic feel that can sometimes dominate elsewhere.
Ultimately, while ‘Sweet Tooth Bird’ makes for an interesting listen, it doesn’t necessarily make for a particularly enjoyable one.
Words by Barclay Ballard
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