No longer fearful about and defiantly intent on asking for and getting more, the powerhouse Toronto-based singer/songwriter Damhnait (prounounced “DAV-net”) Doyle – renowned in her native country for her stints in the female vocal trio Shaye and Americana group The Heartbroken – has joined forces with some of her best Canadian songwriter friends now living and thriving in Nashville to create an epic 11-track collection that rolls like a freshly unlocked journal of her truest heart. Liquor Store Flowers is a cathartic confessional breaking all the emotional shackles that had long held her back from expressing her deeper artistry.
Considering its prodigious and compelling songwriting, production (by Damhnait and John Dinsmore of the Toronto alt-country band NQ Arbuckle) and heartfelt vocal intensity throughout, perhaps the greatest irony about Liquor Store Flowers is that the singer didn’t set out with a master plan to record an album. She simply needed to get the songs that were long simmering inside out of her body.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Better Life”, one of the standout songs on the album. Showcasing Doyle’s sultry vocals, the song is a stark yet beautiful country meditation on a topic rarely if ever covered in the universe of country music: adoption. Sang with heartfelt emotion, the song finds Doyle laying her emotions bare as she offers a perspective on motherhood that is completely different than what he often hear in country. There is a twangy, acoustic-tinged soundtrack as she grapples with how to deal with her particular situation in the best way possible, and what we get as a listen is a true country confessional that is simultaneously catchy and bluntly authentic.
Damhnait Doyle shares her own inspiration behind the song:
“Better life is inspired by my own experience adopting my daughter and in recognition of those who have made the excruciating decision to give up their child in order to give them a chance at a better life. I believe it’s the most selfless kind of love there is. “
LISTEN:
Damhnait Doyle releases Liquor Store Flowers on April 12.
