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The Ottawa Citizen
Saturday, February 2, 2002

Happybody****
Alex Houghton (Independent)

In her third release since '95, Ottawa guitarist, Alex Houghton offers 11
powerfully deft original instrumentals. Her fingerstyle guitar playing
-similar to that of say, Stephen Fearing-is delicate and intricate, and yet
possesses a strong edge that too often is absent from the folk-based genre.

On Happybody, Houghton fills out the evocative sound with just the right
touches: the spare, plaintive string section, featuring bassist John Geggie
on a pair of songs, is a welcome addition that never becomes overbearing,
instead swelling and subsiding like a brief, refreshing wave.

Kevin Turcotte's trumpet brings a certain snap to the recording, but again,
like the strings, doesn't attempt to drown Houghton's resonance.