Concrete Blonde - s/t
Somewhat like Lisna, I was delighted to hear music I could really get into, after (sorry SGR) the disappointment of the Boys who are somewhat like Animals, and as this album went on I just got happier and happier. For some reason, I assumed this might be a punk/rockabilly kind of thing, but if I had to characterise CB I might consider an amalgam of Blondie, Dire Straits and the Pretenders. I don't think there was any track on this I didn't love, and it just got better from the first to the last. Their version of Harrison's "Beware of Darkness" has just the right amount of angst and moody brooding with a heavier, almost metal guitar line, while "Cold Part of Town" has a great hook in it. Okay, it looks like my YouTube has the tracks screwed around but bear with me. Great guitar sound on this one.
Next one I got is "Dance Along the Edge", which gives me a sort of Springsteen vibe for some reason along with Simple Minds and has a great bass line with some pretty cool drumming too. I really feel the singer here is very Chrissy Hynde-lite, and that's not a criticism. This is one of my favourites on the album I would say. Then again, there's "Song for Kim (She Said)" which has a real lowdown funky feel to it, the bass thumping like a heartbeat, and "Your Haunted Head", which just goes for it, heads-down, kicking over tables and causing all sorts of trouble.
The vocal is an odd spoken one at times; I'd say this is the closest the album comes to straight-ahead punk, but stili with an edge of restraint, "You're the Only One" is a cool acoustic bopper with a slice of country in it, then back to the high-energy rock for "Still in Hollywood", another standout. The exuberance in the chorus is to die for. Powering along then for "Over Your Shoulder", bit of an unexpectedly abrupt ending, and on to "Little Sister", where the rhythm section really come into their own, though the vocalist seems a little lost in the mix at first, though she does find her feet, or I should say her voice. The instrumental version of "True" is nice, and then there's a different version of "Still in Hollywood", called "I'll Chew You Up and Spit You Out." Yeah. Probably didn't really need that.
Overall though, a highly entertaining album with mostly great tracks, fine musicianship and a decent singer. Very catchy, and well worth listening to.
Rating: 8.9/10
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