Doris Henson

Even without flashy costumes or an exotic setting, glam rock can still sparkle. On its latest disc, White Elephant, Doris Henson raids the velvet gold mine. The drums sound like smacks in the face, as if the swaggering suitor delivering the drawn-out vocals got a bit too fresh. The guitars linger on single notes, as if they’re just soaking up the sordid scene. The group’s swirling songs pace themselves, so even when they approach eight minutes, they don’t overstay their welcome. And after the festive frenzy of the early cuts dies down, Doris Henson calls closing time with the haunting harmonies of a ghostly grunge number. For fans of local rock, this White Elephant would be anything but a novelty gift.