Review of Various Artists - Girls Got Rhythm!

Compilation. Classics of mainstream rock and metal. Tribute bands. That got your heart all aflutter? Right then, so the fact that the bands on the Girls Got Rhythm! collection are made up of all female musicians has a negligible impact on whether or not any paying customer would shell out for this album. It has nothing to do with the assertion that girls can’t play, or that male fans would rather exclude them from our little club, but rather, it’s only at best moderately interesting to hear people you don’t know play songs you know, love, and have heard roughly a zillion times. Still, it’s clear that the ladies here have contributed a respectable amount of love and musicianship to this project, and the result is a decent, if superfluous and disposable listen. I’m not sure who this record is aimed at, but Liquor and Poker would hope that if you only buy one all female tribute band compilation all year, that THIS be the one.

The thirteen bands that remind us that Girls Got Rhythm! worship an expected and respectable circle of usual suspects of rock (AC/DC, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Cheap Trick, Jimi Hendrix), metal (Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Ozzy) and punk rock (Ramones, Misfits). As you’d expect from tribute bands, the material is presented loyally, which in most cases (on album, that is), means that the quality of the frontwomen makes all the difference. It’s notable that so many of these bands have taken up such classicly male material (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Misfits, etc), and while none of these performances hold a candle to the originals, it’s somewhat interesting to hear a female voice on these warhorses.

KISS and AC/DC songs make up a total of five tracks on the set, and while Black Diamond’s “Love Gun” and Italy’s Kissexy’s “Lick it Up” are fairly uneventful, the AC/DC songs are an interesting mixed bag. The polished, professional Thundherstruck cover their namesake track very competently, but it’s from AC/DC’s modern (read: paint drying dull) era. On the other hand, Whole Lotta Rosies (who by the look of the band pictures look most likely to amass a stage full of sweaty, skidmarked, creepy-fan underwear) take on “Dog Eat Dog” from the classic Let There Be Rock album, but suffer from some ham-fisted guitar work. That leaves Hell’s Belles’ take on “Back in Black”, which has a surprising amount of spunk. The Iron Maidens contribute a strong cover of the totally overplayed “Run to the Hills”, and Cheap Chick add a technically proficient but somehow dull version of “Surrender”. The punk contribution is a wash, with Ramones (kinda good) and Misfits (kinda not) covers (from Ramonas and Ms. Fits) balancing each other out. Although the vocals tend to attract a lot attention, the musicianship is solid from nearly all of the bands, especially from The Little Dolls, whose Rakk Wylde handles the Randy Rhoads role well on “I Don’t Know” (Ozzy’s theme song?), and the group effort from Zepparella, who are one of the highlights of the collection. Their choice of “The Lemon Song” is commendable not only because it’s not completely obvious, like most, but also because the band does a nice job capturing the sleazy bump and grind of the legendary Led Zep. Mistress of Reality and Foxey Lady also do a nice job recreating the atmosphere of “Fairies Wear Boots” and “Foxey Lady”, but both bands have a hard time selling the vocals.

The songs here are all covered competently and with the appropriate reverence. I’d probably check out any of these bands if they ever played a show in my town. The tribute band is kind of a live thing. Their impact is lessened on album, especially a compilation. So I’m not sure at whom this release is actually aimed, but if the concept of the album happens to have some appeal, you’ll find the bands easily holding up their end of the bargain. At a minimum, hopefully it will inspire some young female fans to take up an instrument.

Release Details

Various Artists

Girls Got Rhythm!

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