Beautiful Creatures
Deuce
5.5
Sweet, poppy, and just short of being cuddly, Deuce is one hell of a flirt. If realized in human form, it would be the jealous little sister of The Brides of Destruction, dolled up and looking much older than its actual age proves. Listening to this album, which is the second full-length from the L.A. based Beautiful Creatures, is akin to staring at the luscious legs of a hot miniskirted young woman only to realize when she turns around that she’s not old enough to drive, which, on a side note, is becoming more and more a common occurrence. I can’t help but feel both guilty and cheated.
Judging from appearances and its own description as “raw and dangerous,” one would expect Beautiful Creatures to be a pretty ballsy group. Unfortunately, the band proves anything but dangerous, playing a relatively safe form of rock that could as easily find a spot on today’s radio scene alongside Velvet Revolver as it could have been spun alongside Motley Crue in the 80s, had it existed at that time. In other words, the group’s sound is best described as an amalgamation of the modern rock sound of Velvet Revolver and the throwback 80s vibe one gets from listening to the excellent Brides of Destruction, but without the tenacity and hunger of the latter.
To be fair, these guys are certainly worth a look-over for anybody dying for quality pure rock without modern rock offshoots like emo, pop/punk, and indie throwing their two cents into the mix. There IS a swagger here that’s undeniably catchy, such as on “Unforgiven,” where lead singer Joe LeSte sounds particularly raspy and the guitar hooks ride an infectious groove into an even more infectious chorus. Hell, Deuce even contains a few harsher, more modern tracks, such as “Save Me” and “Superfly,” both of which are carried by one strong riff throughout. However, the underlying issue that prevents the album from rising above mediocrity is its blatant sugariness. Sure, it’s catchy, but catchy songs usually overstay their welcome, and when an entire album is built from a soft foundation, it will crumble with time. Everything here is too sterilized to keep the listener coming back for more. This is something I would never want to be taken out of context, but please, Beautiful Creatures, I want to see less fluff and more balls the next time around.
