Opening track “Waiting for a Change” off of Lilly Black’s My Own Hero CD is a gliding, rocking, sliding-on-the-groove bright pop tune with the energy of the New York Dolls meeting the pop majesty of the Go Go’s. Liam Barry’s drums bolster the undercurrent opening the door to track 2, “Rag Doll.” These first two songs contain explicit lyrics and are repeated at the end of the CD in the form of “radio edits,” but I’ve yet to hear the naughty words so… “Rag Doll” is a delightful change of pace from the first opus, Lilly Senna’s appealing vocals over a dense Mike Barry production from Babyland Studio. Poignant yet harsh lyrics and Bobby Linscott’s consistent and imploring guitar work add to the mystery.
“You’re Probably Right,” like the preceding songs, has a pure 60s vibe brought up to date in 2017, impressive upon the first listening. The CD itself jam-packed with information, photos and an intriguing color scheme, yet it’s the music from this solid band that speaks the loudest.
Five songs plus two radio edits make for a short and sweet listening experience. When we critics and radio programmers get 15 song discs galore, it’s like listening to double vinyl albums from the old days, quite a bit to absorb. Fact is, the longer the CD, the more time it takes to review, and sometimes they get lost in the shuffle. “Leave Me Alone” is not the notable songs by Lou Reed and Helen Reddy (or is it, Helen Reed and Lou Reddy, I can’t remember anymore…)a thumping beat with a solo vocal chant and Phoebe Clark’s keys augmenting this nicely, but never getting in the way a la Greg Hawkes of the Cars.
“Leave Me Alone” comes with exquisite guitar work by Linscott as does the final track, “My Own Hero,” which takes things down a quasi-Gothic notch with a careful, incessant snare drum bang and the aforementioned electrically activated simmering-almost-fuzz guitar under this hard ballad. Love it all. Five stars…an absolute knockout. All songs over two and a half minutes and under three thirty so you get that short bust of energy and can repeat or play another on this well-planned compact disc.
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com, Gatehouse Media, Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, and a variety of other media outlets. Joe also produces and hosts Visual Radio, a seventeen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed Jodie Foster, director/screenwriter David Koepp, Michael Moore, John Cena, comics/actors Margaret Cho, Gilbert Gottfried, Gallagher, musicians Mark Farner and Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad, Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals, political commentator Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
