JANET GARDNER
This one took me by surprise. Or, more accurately put, how good this record is was a pleasant surprise. With press blurb focussed primarily on emphasising all Janet Gardner has achieved with Vixen, it struck me as over-egging past laurels, with little focus on the here and now. Must be a reason for that, right? Record label marketing, hoping to sell her debut solo album based solely on Gardner's past achievements, as there's not much going for her self-titled new record? Sure, this primed my listening expectations for something average. The insipid cover helped not one bit, either. I'm sure most competent Photoshop users with a small degree of artistic flair, and with a spare half hour, could patch together something better than what we have here. So, yeah, listening to this has been a pleasant surprise.
Just what can you expect, then? Well, a series of retro rocking numbers with a metallic twang and modern edge in places, adorned with the singing of a vocalist who, now in her mid-50s, still has a great sounding voice. Also, expect catchy tunes loaded with hooks and melodies that will become prime ear worm fodder. While some of the melodies are a little suspect in terms of "I've definitely heard that somewhere before", they're all interwoven nicely within some no-frills, competent yet clichéd, tracks. The production/mix is okay, if a little inconsistent. There's a little too much polish in places, it could be said... but lacking in other areas, such as the general guitar sound where the distortion is too overly chorus clad and treble-biased for my personal taste. And some of the vocal passages sound a little over-produced through some kind of weird filter.
Written and recorded with her husband, the guitarist/songwriter/producer Justin James, I'm unsure as to any other personnel involved in this venture (maybe it was just the two of them?), as press blurb mentions no other musicians... albeit one of the promo pics does have a couple of other peeps lurking in the background. One's pouting and holding a couple of drumsticks, while the other's wielding a bass, and seemingly stretching across to get his head in the shot... either that, or Gardner's grown a mini-bassist out of her right shoulder. Whatever the case, this is all about Gardner, marketed as it is as a solo album. And it's good. Not mindblowing or fantastic, but a good, solid, no-frills rocker.
Just what can you expect, then? Well, a series of retro rocking numbers with a metallic twang and modern edge in places, adorned with the singing of a vocalist who, now in her mid-50s, still has a great sounding voice. Also, expect catchy tunes loaded with hooks and melodies that will become prime ear worm fodder. While some of the melodies are a little suspect in terms of "I've definitely heard that somewhere before", they're all interwoven nicely within some no-frills, competent yet clichéd, tracks. The production/mix is okay, if a little inconsistent. There's a little too much polish in places, it could be said... but lacking in other areas, such as the general guitar sound where the distortion is too overly chorus clad and treble-biased for my personal taste. And some of the vocal passages sound a little over-produced through some kind of weird filter.
Written and recorded with her husband, the guitarist/songwriter/producer Justin James, I'm unsure as to any other personnel involved in this venture (maybe it was just the two of them?), as press blurb mentions no other musicians... albeit one of the promo pics does have a couple of other peeps lurking in the background. One's pouting and holding a couple of drumsticks, while the other's wielding a bass, and seemingly stretching across to get his head in the shot... either that, or Gardner's grown a mini-bassist out of her right shoulder. Whatever the case, this is all about Gardner, marketed as it is as a solo album. And it's good. Not mindblowing or fantastic, but a good, solid, no-frills rocker.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Pavement Music
Album
JANET GARDNER
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
40:08
RELEASE DATE:
18th August 2017
TRACK LISTING
1) Rat Hole
2) Hippycrite
3) If You Want Me
4) Candle
5) Your Problem Now
6) Let It Be Over
7) Lost
8) The Grind
9) Best Friend
10) The Good or the Bye
2) Hippycrite
3) If You Want Me
4) Candle
5) Your Problem Now
6) Let It Be Over
7) Lost
8) The Grind
9) Best Friend
10) The Good or the Bye
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
USA
"...a series of retro rocking numbers with a metallic twang and modern edge in places, adorned with the singing of a vocalist who, now in her mid-50s, still has a great sounding voice."
