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JOAN JETT - Still Sinnin' Still Rockin'
from: popvulturephil.blogspot.com
by Phil Rainone
Authenticity: It sometimes seems almost a forgotten concept in this age of 'bigger, better, faster, now.' To achieve it, you need both credentials. The BLACKHEARTS have been pumpin' out the punk rock since 1980, in various incarnations- - including Sex Pistols' Steve Jones on guitar and Paul Cook on drums - on the very first album, Bad Reputation. They're finally starting to reissue all of JOAN JETT's old albums with bonus tracks, and enhanced material - bringing her much overdue validation. Seeing The BLACKHEARTS live is an amazing show! They entrench themselves in the music, barely coming up for air.
With that said, SINNER has a lot to live up to. Opening with "Riddles" - "Talkin' heads are talkin'/ Don't listen to what they say/ How they sit in judgement/ and claim to know the way..." - she takes ballsy swipes at the war in Iraq (Joan's supported the troops by doing shows overseas,) and the government (who most often speaks in riddles.) The track ends with a sound byte from President Bush - "There's an old saying in Tennessee that says 'Fool me once, shame on... you. Fool... you can't get fooled again."
It's basically, serious stuff, but that isn't to say The BLACKHEARTS can't have
some fun along the way! Ripping right into sexually comical "A.C.D.C." - and later on in the album the loopy, sing-a-long cover of the Replacements' "Androgynous - Joanie lets her freak flag fly. Tongues will be wagging! "A.C.D.C she's got some other fella as well as me..." If you're willing to cross boundries instead of creating them, the view from the other side is amazing, and The BLACKHEARTS do it with ease. And just in case you still don't get it, they include "Fetish" - it's just so cool, with it's stinging, whip-like backbeat.
With THOMMY PRICE on drums - he sets an amazing fuckin' pace - DOUGIE NEEDLES, guitar; Enzo Penizzotto, bass; longtime collaborator KENNY LAGUNA, keyboards; and of coarse, JOAN JETT on guitar, they create something magical on SINNER. The images they create on songs like "Turn it Around," "Baby Blue," and "Five" are pure, undiluted blasts of punk rock and roll! The latter song, "Five," is featured on the new Warped Tour comp. The BLACKHEARTS are one of this year's headliners. It should be awesome!
When artists collaborate, and the results are more than the sum of the parts, something entirely different than expected is created. There ain't nothin' here but three chords, a backbeat and a voice - which translates to minimalist rock & roll at it's best! It's like using black and white film. Removing the color from an image helps remove the distraction of superficial detail. What's left is the expression of the message of the music and the body language. The distractions blur into insignificance, and the character of the song comes into focus. All of this is important when it comes to making music, but talent alone isn't enough these days. Authenticity and validation are still the bottom line, and the BLACKHEARTS have both firmly in place.
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