Dark Roses. Donna Blue

Does Donna Blue need an introduction on this blog? No. With a string of brilliant singles and EPs the band made a strong impression on me. Over two years ago Covid struck when Donna Blue had gone to the U.S. for several shows and had to hurry back in order to be let into the country. Undoubtedly this led to at least a year of delay releasing Dark Roses. Or would we ever have heard the album in its present form?

To me this is an intriguing question. My personal guess is that the time Covid provided was used to branch out. Allow me to explain how I got to my theory.

'The Beginning' opens Dark Roses. The song oozes 1960s, sure, but gone is the typical Donna Blue sound. The is The Velvet Underground, with an angelic singer, a female Doug Yule. The soft but driving beat, the jazzy background, the pop element, the mystery and overall power of danger lurking in the dark background. 'The Beginning' is an extremely strong opening of Donna Blue's debut album and most out of line with what came before.

A second and major change is that Danique van Kesteren is not the only solo singer. Her partner Bart van Dalen takes the lead as well. It is only in the third song, 'A Lover In Disguise', that the typical twang sound of Donna Blue steps forward. Immediately the song brings you to movies and tv series from long ago. Too old to show any longer. It almost makes me forget that all three songs are so right. They fully work.

At the same time this music is totally anachronistic of course. It has nothing to do with 2022 but everything with an era Donna Blue's members' parents most likely were children still. The title song even harks back to the 1950s and mid 60s songs with spoken word lyrics, with a kind of cowboys music, as it was called at the time, behind it. It is a fair question to ask: who possibly could be Donna Blue's targeted audience? Well, I am, but I would not count me in on an average musical ticket.

Fact is, that Donna Blue produces incredibly beautiful music, loaded with longing, with a cool passion, full of atmosphere. Anyone listening ought to be willing to come to the rescue.

And that Covid pause? I also wonder if it allowed for songs to develop further. If it allowed to rethink the arrangements and fill them up with e.g. strings, like in the slow film score music 'Waking Up From A Dream'. On any given day my teeth would crack from the sweet stickiness coming from the song. Not here though. It sounds just nice in this context. Just like the added full organ to several songs does. Would we have heard it a year ago?

My final example is the level suaveness Donna Blue has added to its repertoire. I can easily see James Bond (of old) walk around on this music, let alone see Tony Curtis and Roger Moore cruise the boulevards of Southern France and Monaco in their Ferrari's. From drinking a relaxing cocktail to 'Cup Of Time', to party time dancing with 'Solitaire'. Dark Roses holds it all for the jet set and us ordinary folks.

Whatever you might make of the fact this music was made about 56 years too late, I'm glad it is here. A good album is a good album and Donna Blue has made it. It has created a totally new level in its music and has done so wisely. The band's strengths are all there, the additions just right. Well done!

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Dark Roses here:

https://snowstar.bandcamp.com/album/dark-roses-2