So just to be clear and perfectly honest I am giving the “packaging” for this album half a star. Maybe it’s not for you, in which case, take a half star off. What can I say? I’ve always been a Brody Dalle fan.
For those of you that are not yet aware of Spinnerette, this is the new band of former Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle. You remember her. The tough lady with the Mohawk, used to be married to Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, got divorced, then married Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. Yup, that’s the one!
Well after The Distillers broke up in 2005, Dalle decided to take things in a new direction with Spinnerette. The Mohawk is gone, the rage is pretty much gone, and Dalle has more or less moved on from her punk/rock roots. This isn’t really all that surprising since The Distillers last album, Coral Fang, failed in getting the band the commercial success it seemed intended for (which was really too bad because it rocked).
Now four years later, Dalle returns with Distillers compatriot Tony Bevilacqua, former Red Hot Chili Pepper and Pearl Jam drummer, Jack Irons, and Alain Johannes. Johannes has been in numerous bands including Queens of the Stone Age and Eleven (which Irons was also a member of). Together they are Spinnerette, and their self-titled debut takes Dalle in a rather electronic pop/rock direction, pretty far from what Dalle fans are used to.
Is it any good? It has its moments. Dalle certainly shows that she has the ability to write hooks in songs. She certainly saves a few clunkers with some pretty addictive ones. And some of the songs are pretty heavy too. The opener, “Ghetto Love” rocks, and “All Babes Are Wolves” will certainly have you cranking it with the windows down. The thing is, the energy doesn’t really keep up throughout unfortunately. “Sex Bomb” will certainly make or break whether you’d be interested in this album or not though. With its quirkiness and cheerleading style, you’ll either love it or be absolutely annoyed by it.
In the end, it’s a nice change of pace for Brody Dalle, but I think it lacks her best asset, her howl. On the Distillers albums Dalle came off as one of the best female rock vocalists out there. She could belt out that scratchy scream with the best of them, and while there are glimpses of it here, fans of hers will truly miss it. Yes, she’s proven that she is more versatile then we thought, but hiding that voice is like Jack White playing the drums (too late). Hopefully Spinnerette comes back with something that rocks more throughout.
Kevin Kozel-MuzikReviews.com Staff
July 16, 2009
