Current Review(s):
~ Vains Of Jenna's The Art Of Telling Lies
~ Lita Ford's Wicked Wonderland
(For past reviews, please see our archives)
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Review of:
Vains Of Jenna's
The Art Of Telling Lies
(Sept. 2009)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on October 19, 2009
Tracks:
1. Everybody Loves You When You're Dead
2. Mind Pollution
3. Refugee
4. I Belong To Yesterday
5. Paper Heart
6. Get It On
7. Enemy In Me
8. Better Off Alone
9. I Don't Care
10. The Art Of Telling Lies
Vains Of Jenna has come back with a vengeance with this new album. This follow up to Lit Up/Let Down reflects substantial musical growth and maturity from the band. This album is less raw than the aforementioned Lit Up/Let Down, yet still has the hard hitting power Vains Of Jenna is known for. This band is definitely coming into their own!
My favorite track from the album, and also the first single from the album, is one I'd heard the band play live before this CD was released, "Get It On". It's a killer rocker with an awesome driving beat. Other great songs on this album include "Everybody Loves You When You're Dead" with its catchy hooks, "The Art Of Telling Lies" an epic song, "Mind Pollution" a perfect blend of Nu-Glam and Sleaze with very cool guitar riffs and a fantastic solo, and the melancholy power ballad "Better Off Alone". I also love the band's cover of "Refugee". That's one of my favorite songs by rock legend Tom Petty, and VOJ does him proud in their version of his song. They make the song rock harder, but keep it true to the original, which is what a good cover should do. I loved it when I heard them do it live, too. Of course, I can't forget "Enemy In Me", the other single from the album. It's a superb track, previously released in 2007 on Bam Margera's Viva la Bands, Volume 2. "Paper Heart" is also a great track, with a slower heavy beat and kick ass guitar work from Nicki Kin.
My least favorite tracks are "I Don't Care", although I like the funky guitar riffs tossed into the fast-paced tune, and "I Belong To Yesterday". They're good songs, just not my favorites on this album.
All in all, I have to agree with my friend Freekshow (Middle Finger Mob) who said he thought this was VOJ's best work yet. Lizzy Devine flat wails on vocals, JP White sizzles on the bass, Jacki Stone smokes on the drums and Nicki Kin screams on the guitar. I'm glad this band decided to relocate to L.A. from their native Sweden, because it's given me the chance to see them live twice already this year alone, and I look forward to their return to Phoenix next month with Dirty Penny. They always put on an explosive show, so make sure you see them when they come to a town near you. In the meantime, you must pick up this album!
For more info on Vains Of Jenna, check out their MySpace page. You'll also find an interview with drummer Jacki Stone in our archives.
Review of:
Lita Ford's
Wicked Wonderland
(October 6, 2009)
Reviewed by Tawny Khat on September 25, 2009
Tracks:
1. Crave
2. Piece (Hell Yeah)
3. Patriotic SOB
4. Scream 4 Me
5. Inside
6. Wicked Wonderland
7. Indulge
8. Love
9. Betrayal
10. Sacred
11. Truth
12. Everything
13. Bed
14. Garden (Bonus Track)
15. Push (Bonus Track)
Wicked Wonderland
I recently received a promo CD containing five tracks from Lita Ford's new album, Wicked Wonderland. Since it's been nearly 15 years since Lita's last album, I had no idea what to expect from her new material. Would she have lost her touch? Would she have mellowed out? Well, the answers to those two questions are a resounding NO FREAKIN' WAY!!
It's funny, I've noticed as many male rockers age, they become more mellow. Their songs become softer. Think about Robert Plant's later solo music compared to when he was part of Zeppelin. Or, Great White's most recent album. Not so with Lita Ford! Right from the first track, “Piece (Hell Yeah)”, Lita punched me in the throat with the raw power and heavy hitting melodies of her new songs. You will not find the pop-metal sound in this album that was Lita's signature sound back in the 80s, although I of course love that stuff, too. Throughout this CD I was met with guitars that went from crunchy to psychedelic, while all along Lita growls, spits, hisses and purrs through the sexy lyrics of each song. “Crave”, the first single from the new album, is not for the faint of heart. With seductive lyrics and hard hitting rock guitars, this song makes Lita seem more like a female Rob Zombie than a female Bon Jovi. Also included on the CD are the hard rockin' songs “Love”, “Patriotic SOB” and “Scream 4 Me”.
Based on these five songs I'd have to say this album must be the culmination of years of pent up energy that Lita had from not performing for so long. She explodes with raw energy and sensuality on this release. It will definitely be raising some eyebrows! If anyone has ever doubted that Lita Ford is the “Queen of Metal”, they will never doubt again. Lita is once again redefining womens' place in rock n' roll. After listening to these tracks I can't imagine anyone ever saying, “She rocks pretty good for a chick.” No, from now on, they'll simply say, “SHE FUCKIN' ROCKS!!”
ADDENDUM (10/1/09) - I just received Lita's album, Wicked Wonderland, in its entirety, so I wanted to amend my review after hearing the rest of the album. I still agree with everything I've already said about Lita's new music, of course, but I wanted to add some additional comments.
Wicked Wonderland is truly and apt name for this album. It's like going on one thrill ride after another in a deep, dark, twisted, sex-themed amusement park! Many of the songs talk about S&M, fetishes, and other sexual topics, but often within the framework of a committed relationship. As Lita said, this is a biographical album about her relationship with her husband, and she has said that they've gotten freakier as they've gotten older!
Musically, I want to reiterate that this album reflects a completely different side of Lita Ford. It's very heavy, so I hope that her fans won't be disappointed by the fact that her new music is nothing like her previous music. Personally, I love this album. This is Lita for the 21st century. It sounds as though she pulls from hard and heavy influences going back to Deep Purple and Rainbow, all the way to the present, creating a sound that is uniquely her own.
The tunes on this album are very well written, and you'd never know that Lita hadn't touched her guitars in many years. Her guitar playing is as strong as ever, and she really displays it in the sizzling guitar solos on this record. The music and lyrics combine to make this album hot, lusty and steamy! The one "ballad" on this album, "Sacred", is not sappy at all. In fact, it has the dark feel of Alice In Chains' mellower tunes. It's ironic that Lita left the music biz when grunge came on the scene, because she could tour with Alice In Chains now and it would make for a perfect double bill. I'm not saying her new music is grunge, not at all, but it is very heavy. Actually, she could tour with any hard rockers and it would be a perfect double bill. Lita just flat kicks ass all over the place with this new album!
The album is now available through Amazon.com
Make sure you also read our interview with Lita! And, take a look at some awesome classic videos of her, as well as some extra photos we found.
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