Tuesday, November 15, 2011

One-Eyed Doll - 2010 - Break

Rock
[FOR FREE]

<a href="http://music.oneeyeddoll.com/album/break">?</a>
English
Hard rock with playful female vocals, why do you not happen more often? One-Eyed Doll's "Break" more than proves the formula works. One-Eyed Doll's sound is reminiscent of other hard rocking female fronted hard rock bands that have come before them. The one that comes to mind most during a listening session is Curve. Thankfully the album does not rest solely on the groundwork laid by forebearers, and plays with the 'female lead rock band' idea enough to keep us interested - in this case by slowing things down and adding a bit of humour/balladry to the mix (the aptly titled 'Murder Ballad' is my country love song of the year!). It works here because Kimberly Freeman would not sound at all out of place on a country record. There is just something warmly approachable about her voice that it would likely work singing over just about any genre of music. On "Break", Freeman's voice is the sly smiling facade that lowers your defenses before the music smashes a vase over your head and steals your stuff. Not that 'Break' is a throwaway pop-punk joke record, subject matter as serious as child and domestic abuse (the album's title track) are gracefully situated alongside tracks like 'Redneck Love Song' and whatever opener 'Airplane Man' is actually about [email if you know the answer/are Kim Freeman. I'm keen to know - Gabbo]. The whole album feels like One-Eyed Doll are letting you in on the joke, like a secret only you and the band know about. The secret is that Kimberly Freeman and Co have released one hell of a rock record.

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