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Review JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS SINNER Album
from: thetrousers.co.uk
by Gary Munday
With the big, clap yo’ hands feel of politico-ripper Riddles, you’re plunged straight into the true heart of SINNER, the first JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS album in over a decade. The chugging, cheesy Eighties guitars sound like a biker’s wet dream, while the admittedly catchy chorus shows that Jett can still be devilishly aware of what makes a line memorable. This all hints as a return to fun-sounding rock songs, but what makes Jett’s new work so compelling is that each track holds enough of a message to be taken seriously (for the opener this is the awareness and very real worries of political morons, the lack of political awareness in the U.S. and the world and Big Brother watching evermore). With this and the timely use of some great Bush and Rumsfeld speech samples, you’ll get the gist pretty quickly and realise that SINNER really isn’t just another rock clown acting out, but instead tries to voice items on a meaningful agenda.
This brash retro heart is a recurring theme of the album — though Jett would surely take umbrage if you called it ‘retro’ to her face — where big band rock ‘n’ roll is pounded out ‘til fingers are shaking and knuckles are bleeding. By exploring the well travelled slopes of the ‘rock anthem’, Jett succeeds in reminding of how she herself has been such a secretly domineering and influential artist. For example, Everyone Knows is a sort of template for latter-day Weezer and anyone else that isn’t afraid of touching on something that is unashamedly good for the soul. Fists are raised to the skies and their owners are wearing ripped, black band t-shirts; the lack of a smirk or wry smile is unnerving. This is serious, folks! Meanwhile, Change The World reeks of early Distillers and other feelgood, boppy punk rockers, but clearly Joan came first. However rearward-looking it may be, SINNER really hammers it home that there really are a great number of acts who’ve trodden on the toes of this female figurehead.
Of course, with such a well rehearsed basis for compositions, there are bound to be some potholes, bumps and areas that are unwise to venture into. A 100 Ft Away and the truly terrible Watersign take the foot off of the proverbial pedal and sink into the bogs that were once the battleground of the stadium pomp-rockers. And good riddance, really; there’s no need for that egotistical guitar crap. On a similarly slippery footing, Bad Time steals part of a typical descending guitar riff used by late-era Iggy & The Stooges (have a listen to the stuff on Skull Ring and you’ll notice the likeness). Here, Jett and her band once again walk the perilous plank and stand there wobbling, threatening to teeter over into pointlessness.
Elsewhere, they’re rescued by Fetish, anotably decent stab at the heart. Getting downright dirty, sleazy, greasy and easy, Jett shrieks and yelp with a pained, unrestrained glee, her gristly vocals tearing right through, projected by her metal larynx; it works because the song simply doesn’t give a fuck. It pumps, slides and grinds all over you, asserting its dominance before you can question this return to an old and somewhat dated sound. It thrusts you down and gets on with business, just as plain and simple rock music should.
Overall, SINNER is much like diving into the deep end, bombing right into a sea of sharks whilst covered in whale meat and wearing a big fat grin. There is no shame or fear here. The mainstream media’s pointed teeth will surely sense this overt carelessness and downright disregard for the songwriting no-nos of yesteryear, but the real problem is that there isn’t enough to get worked up about either way. As soon as you get used to the sound that was supposedly ‘lost’ many moons ago, you’ll find your concentration wandering. SINNER is undoubtedly worthy of a listen, but despite Jett’s obvious influence and her eagerness to be heard on a greater political level, it’s unlikely to make a notable mark amongst the unconverted.
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