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CD Reviews archive - C
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Review of:
Cherry Lips'
self-titled debut album
(worldwide release date March 27, 2009)
Reviewed by: Tawny Khat on March 3, 2009
CD cover and photos provided courtesy of SWEDMETAL RECORDS
Tracks:
1. Dead Or Alive? Are You
2. Haunted
3. Stop Messin' Around
4. Right Now!
5. Mean, Hot And Nasty
6. On My Own
7. Back For More
8. Shadow
9. The Race Is On
10. Heartbreaker
11. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
12. Narcissus
Cherry Lips is an all female pop/rock band, the brainchild of vocalist, Stefi, and bass player, Karima. These ladies came up with the idea to form an all female band influenced by classic rock like Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Beatles, and The Who, while they were still in high school. The band formed in 2004 and, after several personnel changes, now includes Serena on drums and Elisa on lead guitar.
Their debut CD was released in Italy, from whence these lovely ladies hail, in early 2008. They embarked on an Italian tour in March of 2008 in support of their new CD, which they distributed at their concerts. In October of 2008 the CD was placed in retail stores throughout Italy. Next, on March 27th of this year, their CD will be released globally via Swedmetal Records.
The girls have also made a video for their song, "Mean, Hot and Nasty", which has received widespread airplay on music TV channels throughout Italy. It will soon be available through Yahoo! Music for the international audience, as well.
I'm always a little excited when I hear of an all female rock band, because I like to see girls who can rock just as well as the guys. In the case of Cherry Lips, however, I'm not quite sure what to make of the band. Are they a pop music band or a rock 'n' roll band? Most of their music rocks, but Stefi's vocals seem to be a better fit for a pop band. At times she reminds me a little bit of
Dale Bozzio of the early 80s New Wave band, Missing Persons. Don't get me wrong, she has a very nice singing voice, but for me it just doesn't seem to fit Cherry Lips' music.
Musically, these ladies rock! The rhythm section of Karima on bass and Serena on drums is very tight, and Elisa, she can shred on the guitar right along with the big boys. I love her bluesy style and riffs in many of the band's songs such as, for instance, "Stop Messin' Around". I just keep finding myself getting stuck when listening to the CD. I mean, I hear the intros to songs like "Dead or Alive? Are You" and "Right Now!" (probably my favorite song on the album), and I start getting into the rockin' groove, but as soon as the vocals come in it seems as though I'm hearing a completely different song, that it has switched from rock to pop. For example, with a song entitled, "Mean, Hot and Nasty", you expect to hear strong, mean, hot and nasty vocals, not a sweet an
d lovely voice coming through the speakers.
Now if these ladies are going for more of a pop sound, then they've nailed it with this album. However, if this is supposed to be a rock 'n' roll record, then it falls short. It's just a matter of taste, of course, and I'm sure their fans like their music just the way it is, it's just that I'm kind of a rock purist who feels that female rock vocalists should have a raspier or gruffer sound to their voice, like Lita Ford, Joan Jett and others. I feel the same way for male rock vocalists. The bands Cherry Lips cites as influences, AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Who, etc. all feature male vocalists with raspy voices. If a man's voice is too "pretty" then it's not a rock 'n' roll voice. Please note that when I use the term rock 'n' roll here, I'm primarily speaking of glam and sleaze rock. I know there are other types of rock where a raspy voice is not necessary, as is the case with a band like Queensryche.
The ladies have written some rockin' tunes, especially on the first part of the album. The last few songs found me losing some interest, however. The songwriting just doesn't seem as strong on those last few songs. Highlights from the album, though, are "Dead or Alive? Are You", "Stop Messin' Around", "Right Now!", "Mean, Hot and Nasty", "Back for More" and "The Race is On".
I know I may have offended some people with my review, but I've always maintained that it's best to be honest. I reviewed this CD from the viewpoint of a rocker. As I said earlier, if these ladies are going for more of a pop sound, then the CD is great. It might have helped if I had known what kind of sound they are going for, but since I don't know, I reviewed it from a rock 'n' roll standpoint. I do want to say, all of these women are very talented and I wish them great success.
For more info about Cherry Lips you can visit their MySpace page or their website.
Review of:
Cherry Lips'
self-titled debut album
(worldwide release date March 27, 2009)
Reviewed by: Tawny Khat on March 3, 2009
CD cover and photos provided courtesy of SWEDMETAL RECORDS
Tracks:
1. Dead Or Alive? Are You
2. Haunted
3. Stop Messin' Around
4. Right Now!
5. Mean, Hot And Nasty
6. On My Own
7. Back For More
8. Shadow
9. The Race Is On
10. Heartbreaker
11. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
12. Narcissus
Cherry Lips is an all female pop/rock band, the brainchild of vocalist, Stefi, and bass player, Karima. These ladies came up with the idea to form an all female band influenced by classic rock like Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Beatles, and The Who, while they were still in high school. The band formed in 2004 and, after several personnel changes, now includes Serena on drums and Elisa on lead guitar.
Their debut CD was released in Italy, from whence these lovely ladies hail, in early 2008. They embarked on an Italian tour in March of 2008 in support of their new CD, which they distributed at their concerts. In October of 2008 the CD was placed in retail stores throughout Italy. Next, on March 27th of this year, their CD will be released globally via Swedmetal Records.The girls have also made a video for their song, "Mean, Hot and Nasty", which has received widespread airplay on music TV channels throughout Italy. It will soon be available through Yahoo! Music for the international audience, as well.
I'm always a little excited when I hear of an all female rock band, because I like to see girls who can rock just as well as the guys. In the case of Cherry Lips, however, I'm not quite sure what to make of the band. Are they a pop music band or a rock 'n' roll band? Most of their music rocks, but Stefi's vocals seem to be a better fit for a pop band. At times she reminds me a little bit of
Dale Bozzio of the early 80s New Wave band, Missing Persons. Don't get me wrong, she has a very nice singing voice, but for me it just doesn't seem to fit Cherry Lips' music.Musically, these ladies rock! The rhythm section of Karima on bass and Serena on drums is very tight, and Elisa, she can shred on the guitar right along with the big boys. I love her bluesy style and riffs in many of the band's songs such as, for instance, "Stop Messin' Around". I just keep finding myself getting stuck when listening to the CD. I mean, I hear the intros to songs like "Dead or Alive? Are You" and "Right Now!" (probably my favorite song on the album), and I start getting into the rockin' groove, but as soon as the vocals come in it seems as though I'm hearing a completely different song, that it has switched from rock to pop. For example, with a song entitled, "Mean, Hot and Nasty", you expect to hear strong, mean, hot and nasty vocals, not a sweet an
d lovely voice coming through the speakers.Now if these ladies are going for more of a pop sound, then they've nailed it with this album. However, if this is supposed to be a rock 'n' roll record, then it falls short. It's just a matter of taste, of course, and I'm sure their fans like their music just the way it is, it's just that I'm kind of a rock purist who feels that female rock vocalists should have a raspier or gruffer sound to their voice, like Lita Ford, Joan Jett and others. I feel the same way for male rock vocalists. The bands Cherry Lips cites as influences, AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Who, etc. all feature male vocalists with raspy voices. If a man's voice is too "pretty" then it's not a rock 'n' roll voice. Please note that when I use the term rock 'n' roll here, I'm primarily speaking of glam and sleaze rock. I know there are other types of rock where a raspy voice is not necessary, as is the case with a band like Queensryche.
The ladies have written some rockin' tunes, especially on the first part of the album. The last few songs found me losing some interest, however. The songwriting just doesn't seem as strong on those last few songs. Highlights from the album, though, are "Dead or Alive? Are You", "Stop Messin' Around", "Right Now!", "Mean, Hot and Nasty", "Back for More" and "The Race is On".
I know I may have offended some people with my review, but I've always maintained that it's best to be honest. I reviewed this CD from the viewpoint of a rocker. As I said earlier, if these ladies are going for more of a pop sound, then the CD is great. It might have helped if I had known what kind of sound they are going for, but since I don't know, I reviewed it from a rock 'n' roll standpoint. I do want to say, all of these women are very talented and I wish them great success.
For more info about Cherry Lips you can visit their MySpace page or their website.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review of:
Club Le Shark's
"Almost Famous" EP (2009)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on July 1, 2009
Tracks:
1. Girl Who Destroyed The World
2. Almost Famous
3. Lawless (On The Rickshaws)
Club Le Shark, out of the U.K., formed back in 2005. The band's members are Lexxi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Sammy Fury (lead guitar), Le Gash (drums, vocals) and Dee Vower (bass, vocals). Their influences run the gamut from Aerosmith to the Sex Pistols, from the New York Dolls to Queen and from Hanoi Rocks to W.A.S.P. Their all-up-in-your-face style, full of plenty of attitude and swagger, certainly reflects that cross between hard rock and punk.
The first track, "Girl Who Destroyed The World", kicks off with some cool guitar riffs and morphs into a straight up rocker that even includes a little piano during the break. There's something a little like progressive rock in this band's sound that I can't quite put my finger on, a little like the 80s band Pretty Maids, a progressive metal band.
"Almost Famous" keeps the high octane rock going with some nice bass riffs and a rippin' guitar solo. Then "Lawless (On The Rickshaws)" gets your head bangin' with more of that early to mid 80s metal sound. I like the drums during the song's break and this tune also has a killer guitar solo.
This is definitely a band you should check out, especially if you like your rock 'n roll fast paced with a little punk thrown in for good measure. You can listen to and purchase their MP3 from Amazon (see link to the right), or for more info and to hear the bands tunes you can visit their MySpace page.
Review of:
Club Le Shark's
"Almost Famous" EP (2009)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on July 1, 2009
Tracks:
1. Girl Who Destroyed The World
2. Almost Famous
3. Lawless (On The Rickshaws)
Club Le Shark, out of the U.K., formed back in 2005. The band's members are Lexxi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Sammy Fury (lead guitar), Le Gash (drums, vocals) and Dee Vower (bass, vocals). Their influences run the gamut from Aerosmith to the Sex Pistols, from the New York Dolls to Queen and from Hanoi Rocks to W.A.S.P. Their all-up-in-your-face style, full of plenty of attitude and swagger, certainly reflects that cross between hard rock and punk.
The first track, "Girl Who Destroyed The World", kicks off with some cool guitar riffs and morphs into a straight up rocker that even includes a little piano during the break. There's something a little like progressive rock in this band's sound that I can't quite put my finger on, a little like the 80s band Pretty Maids, a progressive metal band.
"Almost Famous" keeps the high octane rock going with some nice bass riffs and a rippin' guitar solo. Then "Lawless (On The Rickshaws)" gets your head bangin' with more of that early to mid 80s metal sound. I like the drums during the song's break and this tune also has a killer guitar solo.
This is definitely a band you should check out, especially if you like your rock 'n roll fast paced with a little punk thrown in for good measure. You can listen to and purchase their MP3 from Amazon (see link to the right), or for more info and to hear the bands tunes you can visit their MySpace page.
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