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.

Review: Soundtrack - Whip It

Soundtrack - Whip It
2009, Rhino Records

Whip It is a new comedy directed by Drew Barrymore about a small town Texas girl who escapes by becoming a star roller derby player. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. Drew Barrymore directs the movie based on the Shauna Cross novel (and screenplay). While the movie has a fairly narrow demographic in mind, the soundtrack is bit more broadminded. Whip It features a plethora of new Indie and Alternative Rock bands, as well as few soundtrack classics.

Tilly & The Wall get things started with Pot Kettle Black, sounding like The Runaways meets the Bratz in a sparse Rock N Roll setting. The first family of New York Punk, The Ramones are up next with Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. Surf and Punk mix here in a hybrid that would inspire an entire generation of musicians. The Raveonettes make mellow waves on Dead Sound, one of the surprise highlights of the album. The dynamic here is repressed, gothic Pop. The song is pretty and yet there's something slight off all at the same time. Jens Lekman does the Cure/Smiths thing on Your Arms Around Me. It's a decent, mildly catchy and sonically melancholy tune that could be a sleeper hit.

Gotye's Learnalilgivinanlovin is catchy, 60's-flavored Dance Rock with strong harmonies and an infectious nature. It might not make the biggest impression on the first listen but will stick with you more than most anything else offered on the album. Dolly Parton's Jolene and .38 Special's Caught Up In You are classics of their respective genres and get recycled for soundtracks every few years After this point things head downhill. Adam Green and Har Mar's cover of the Addrisi Brothers' Never My Love is decent, but there's not much past that's likely to perk the interest of listeners. The Squeak E. Clean & Desert Eagles Remix of The Chordette's classic Lollipop is the low point of the album. While I'm all for interpreting and make a song your own, this remix simply makes a mess of the song.

Whip It is uneven and at times messy, but there are some strong moments along the way. The songs seem to have been chosen more according to someone's personal coolness scale rather than an attempt to craft a particular sound or mood for the movie. The end result is a sometimes enjoyable and sometimes unavoidable mess.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Whip It at http://www.foxsearchlight.com/whipit. You can purchase a copy of Whip It at Amazon.com as either a CD or download.

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: Foxfire - Early Rising

Foxfire - Early Rising
2008, Sludgehammer Records

Marietta, Georgia's Foxfire is a classic power trio born from the early 1970's Garage Metal movement. If the Runaways got into an alley fight with Courtney Love and Hole and put together a band from whoever was standing at the end then you might have something a bit like Foxfire. Big guitar sound and structure are the key elements here; melody and composition are almost secondary on Early Rising, the band's debut CD. Vocalist Rachel Collins has a decent Rock/Metal voice, engaging the same rasp that made Janis Joplin a household name but without the same tone or color.

I've listened through this album several times now, and I struggle to find even one track that really stands out from the rest. That's not an indication that the album is bad, it's solid and fairly uniform throughout. The sound has a definite Lo-Fi flavor, sounding like it may have been recorded in one or two takes in a concrete room with minimal production gloss. The sound is true to the nature of the band, who are probably better appreciated in a live setting. In a bar, with the amps turned way up, Foxfire can create a wall of sound through sheer force. On CD, it just doesn't carry quite as well, with the music sounding a bit thin and a bit too much like so much that's gone before.

Early Rising isn't a bad album, but there also isn't anything specific about it that elevates it to memorable status. Early Rising represents solid work from a solid band.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Foxfire at http://www.foxfirerocks.com/. You can pick up a copy of Early Rising at www.cdbaby.com/cd/foxfiresongs2.