In 2000,
lo-fi garage rock
significantly widened its following with the release of two albums:
the White Stripes
'
De Stijl
and
the Gossip
's
That's Not What I Heard
. Although the stripped-down
rock & roll
revival didn't start with these bands, the two records got the critics buzzing and packed
indie rock
kids into the clubs to see what the fuss was all about. Luckily both bands were worthy of the hype. They channeled the
blues
through the basics of
rock
-- a strong singer, hip-shaking riffs, and a steady beat.
, the debut album from
, was recorded in drummer
Kathy
's (no last names here) garage. Frontwoman
Beth
swings her voice down like a gavel, sounding like a gospel punk working the corner on numbers like
"And You Know"
("And you know it's gonna feel good... I would do anything to have it"),
"Hott Date"
("Come on give me what I need"), and
"Where the Girls Are"
("Girl, I love you like no other. I'll be your missus, your mistress... let me love you all night long").
is beautifully unapologetic in her lust, with a powerful voice and primal desires. She tells women what she wants, what she needs, and how she's gonna get it over rusty-nail riffs from guitarist
Nathan
.
gives the songs an extra punch on the drums as the Arkansas trio gives
Southern rock & soul
a
riot grrrl
kick in the gut. ~ Jennifer Maerz