Take It Or Leave It: A Tribute To The Queens Of Noise

Take It Or Leave It: A Tribute To The Queens Of Noise.
2011, Main Man Records

Known to a generation of rock fans as The Queens of Noise, The Runaways shocked their way into the testosterone-dominate heavy metal market in the latter half of the 1970's.  Original members Lita Ford, Sandy West, Jackie Fox, Joan Jett and Cherie Currie went on to various levels of success in the entertainment world, with Jett and Ford standing out from the rest.  The Runaways were arguably one of the most influential hard rock bands of the 1970's, paving the way for a generation of rock-oriented girl groups in the 1980's and beyond.  Main Man Records recently released a two-disc tribute to the Runaways entitled Take It Or Leave It.

Take It Or Leave It is fairly typical for the tribute album genre, mixing in a handful of name artists with a host of regional acts looking for exposure.  Some of the song/artist matches here are brilliant; others baffling.  More often than not, the covers are half-hearted interpretations that do little to pay tribute to the energy or zeitgeist of The Runaways.  The Donnas lead off with "Queens Of Noise", a passive interpretation that sounds as if the band were simply going through the motions.  Shonen Knife does much better with "Black Leather", showing the sense of abandon that The Runaways embodied in their heyday.  Frankenstein gets two chances to impress.  On their own with "California Paradise", the band is too mellow for their own good.  Working with Cherie Currie on "American Nights", they bask in the pure rock persona that Currie projects and carry themselves well.

Blue Fox (with Sandy West on drums) manages the best cover on the album with their revved-up rendition of "Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin", also scoring with a solid version of "Dirty Magazines."  Other name covers include an overly polished take on "Fantasies" by Kittie, and a middle of the road but solid version of "Waitin' For The Night" from cult-rock heroes Starz. 

The real treats on an album such as this come from the more obscure acts that put in a good showing.  White Flag offers up a stylistic interpretation of "C'Mon" that's full of 1980's rock pastiche and distinctive vocal triads; a sonic treat.  Tara Elliott and The Red Velvets re-imagine "You Drive Me Wild" as a bluesy rocker that shines on the strength of Elliott's brilliant voice.  Richard Barone (The Bongos) is memorable on the campy "Hollywood".  Digger Phelps makes "Rock & Roll" a fun listen, and Jack Brag shows off a distinctive voice in a solid rendition of "Secrets".  Much of the rest of the two-disc album is filler, including many of the brief spoken word tracks that include snippets of old interviews and commercials both real and created for the set.

All in all, Take It Or Leave It plays like a cynical rehash of a band catalog that was built more on novelty and sex appeal than songwriting.  There's no denying the real talent in the group, but the sound and song selection of the Runaways was always more about playing to a teenage male demographic than it was about creating great art.  Nevertheless, there are some bright moments on Take It Or Leave It, and a couple of bands that listeners may appreciate discovering.  This may be one of those collections were a few well-chosen downloads will offer you all of the benefits of the collection without the pain.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Take It Or Leave It at www.mainmanrecords.com.  Take It Or Leave It is available digitally from Amazon.com and iTunes.

The New Czars - Doomsday Revolution

The New Czars - Doomsday Revolution
2010, Samson Records

The New Czars have spent significant parts of their careers supporting other artists. Various members have spent time working with Alice Cooper, Puddle Of Mudd, Bruce Dickinson, Courtney Love, Lita Ford and Pink. Now singer/guitarist Greg Hampton, bassist Paul Ill and drummer David “Chilli” Moreno have stepped out on their own as The New Czars. Over time working with artists, the men of The New Czars started developing some of their own musical ideas. These ideas come to fruition on September 14, 2010 with the release of Doomsday Revolution.

Doomsday Revolution opens with "Keep On Goin'", a heavy rocker toward the crevice between mainstream alt-rock and Nine Inch Nails. The energy is solid, and there is a catchy hook or two buried in the sound but in the end it sounds a bit contrived. "Confessions" has more of the breakneck approach you might expect from The New Czars; driven and powerful rock and roll with no apologies and no punches pulled. "So Sure" is commercially viable heavy rock with a heavily pop-oriented chorus. It's product that will sell but doesn't necessarily reflect high quality songwriting. "Abstract Prague" is a cut-and-paste rock instrumental allowing guitarist Hampton to create some aural chaos. Full of riffs, runs and noises with little sense of progression, melody or continuity, its guitar-players self-indulgence. "Doomsday Revolution" is the catchiest track on the disc; falling closer to 1980's MTV hair metal than modern rock. "Doomsday Revolution" lacks any pretension and is the more enjoyable track on the disc for its lack. The New Czars close out with two instrumentals, "Funky Detour" and "Crotch Critters" that attest to the bands sense of sound over song.

The New Czars make a couple of real attempts at music with commercial legs on Doomsday Revolution, but generally fall into the musical cauldron where unguided self-interest and a lack of distinct musical direction meet. The result is an unfocused and surprisingly un-inspired performance. The loosest moment comes on the title track when The New Czars let their hair down and pay homage to their roots in early-1980's pop/metal, but even here there's a detachment that is somewhat frustrating. The New Czars seem to have talent, but still seem so fascinated with what they can do with their instruments to really explore how. Things will get more interesting once they make that transition.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The New Czars at www.myspace.com/thenewczars or http://www.greghampton.com/. Doomsday Revolution drops on September 14, 2010.  You can pre-order the CD from Amazon.com.

Review: Katie Kerkhover - Blister

Katie Kerkhover - Blister
2009, Big Khaos Music

Katie Kerkhover has it all: Big guitars, Rock N Roll attitude, great pop sensibility and a look that will draw in teenage boys helpless in the wake of their hormones. She's Joan Jett, Lita Ford and Britney Spears all rolled into one dynamic package. Kerkhover uses a big voice, a bit of swagger and the angry impetulance of a teenager on her debut album, the digital-only Blister. Blister is featured in Max Rave stores around the country, and a tour with in-store appearances is expected to follow.

Kerkhover opens with Over Me, an angry, rebellious rocker that's a bit overdone. The musicality here is average, but Kerkhover compensates with a loud and brash performance. Down To This is a major step forward, wrapping strong harmonies and an even stronger lead vocal into a big guitar sound. Something Real marks an attempt to be socially conscious that works. It's all about the illusions and delusions we are brought up with that color our thinking for the rest of our lives. Kerkhover calls out everyone in a Punk/Rock anthem inspired by The Runaways. Kerkhover presents a modern version of the liberated woman on Can't Handle Me using big, powerful guitar chords. The song works pretty well, although the vocal here comes off less intelligent and more taunting; almost bratty in tone.

On Habit, Kerkhover takes liberation a step further into wanton sexuality. This one might get radio play but isn't even among the best tracks on the CD. Kerkhover proves her Pop sense on Make You Fall; a big rock tune with highly infectious Pop hooks at its core. Gone Again and The Crystal Method both appear to be targeted as potential singles, but honestly are among the weakest tracks on the disc. A more natural choice for a single would be I'm The Star; the best song on the album and highly infectious to boot. Kerkhover closes with a cover of Joan Jett's Bad Reputation. The cover is almost expected, but Kerkhover established herself as the heir to the Runaway's zeitgeist without the cover.

Katie Kerkhover is making the big cash grab with Blister. It's a strong Hard Rock album written with a pop market in mind. Kerkhover's voice is excellent; she can belt with the best of them, but the sound here is definitely crafted to hit a demographic. That's all well and good, but I suspect that once you get beyond the brash and abrasive persona Kerkhover's putting forward on Blister there's a more subtle and nuanced songwriter waiting to develop. I'll enjoy this disc for what it is, but look forward to hearing what Kerkhover writes and releases once all the initial hoopla dies away and the music itself regains primary station.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Katie Kerkhover at http://www.katieherkhover.com/ or http://www.myspace.com/katieherkhover. You can get downloads of Blister through either iTunes or Amazon.com.

Review: Basia Lyjak - Writings On The Wall

Basia Lyjak - Writings On The Wall
2007, Basia Lyjak

Toronto’s Basia Lyjak is on the rise. Starting out as a member of the short-lived pop band Aphrodisia, Lyjak quickly broke out on her own. Not fitting into the pop princess mold, Lyjak sings from the heart and from the gut. On CD you hear just Basia Lyjak, without computer enhancement or pitch correction. Her second EP, Writings On The Wall, sets the tone for a long career with songs full of passion and chutzpah. There’s no holding back.

Lyjak opens with the wonderful frenetic Stuttering. A strong punk rock sensibility turns into a big rock chorus that's part Lita Ford and part Debbie Harry. Lyjak has that slightly pouty rocker girl sound that was popular amongst the queens of 1980's rock/metal. Her voice is quite a pleasant listen, in fact, with just enough edge to make her believable as a rocker. Bye Bye is a low key modern rock song with a big chorus that allows Lyjak to spread her wings somewhat. This is a highly commercial tune that should do very well on radio and in licensing. Plastic lets Lyjal open up her pipes and let us know what she's really made of. The results are tremendous, as Lyjak at full volume is a real treat to listen to. There's an almost Idina Menzel quality to her.

Torn is a pleasant rock song, but a little too much like most of the other modern rock you might hear on the radio to stand out. The EP closes out with Lies, a slowed down rocker that doesn't really pick up the sort of energy displayed on the first three songs until the chorus. The song is full of angst but doesn't seem to every quite get out of its own way with regard to energy level.

Basia Lyjak is quite a talent. Her big, strong voice can blow you away but is supple enough to handle soft passages without any difficulty. Writings On The Wall is a smash for the first three songs, and just okay for the last two. Not a bad ratio, in fact. I recommend Writings On The Wall to my listeners as a great starting point for an artist, and a good to great listen.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Basia Lyjak at http://www.basialyjak.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Writings On The Wall.