|
Ah finally the
release of Vixen’s new album 'Live And Learn'. Well was it worth the
wait? In a nutshell yes!
Having caught
various songs from the album prior to it's release while the band were on
tour over here in the UK earlier this year with the House of Lords, I was
really looking forward to hearing the album in its entirety, and I tell
you, the girls have done good.
This is more
than just another comeback album, firstly the line-up has changed
considerably since the bands incarnation back in the early eighties.
With only founder member Jan Kuehnermund remaining from the original band,
the band now consists of Jenna Sanz-Agero on vocals, Kat Kraft on drums,
and completing the line-up we have the very lovely Lynn Lowery on bass.
This new line-up
have taken the original concept of the band and brought it kicking and
screaming into the present with a sound to match.
The classic
Vixen sound is still there courtesy of the guitars of Kuehnermund, but
with Sanz-Agero on vocals, with her almost Stevie Nicks tones, the band
have a greater vocal sound than the original version of the band.
The album itself
opens up with ‘Anyway’ and from the off the superior vocals of Sanz-Agero
shine through. With the solid rhythm section of Lowery and Kraft the
band build on this opener and carry off an album that stands up there with
‘Rev It Up’ as far as I’m concerned. A great Vixen album.
The album
continues with the title track ‘Live & Learn’, a track where the
similarities to Stevie Nicks vocals are cemented, and with Kuehnermund
showing what she is capable of, this track is Vixen at their very best.
‘I Try’ is
another great track that is very reminiscent of the classic Vixen sound
that fans of the band are familiar with. As it starts off slowly,
but soon builds into a monster.
But one of my
favourite tracks off the album has to be the excellent ‘Little Voice’.
A track where Sanz-Agero really excels herself vocally as she manages to
sound both serene and powerful at the same time. She definitely
hasn’t got a Little Voice!
The tempo is
picked up a little with ‘Pacifist’ another track where Kuehnermund’s
guitar playing really shines through before the tender side of is shown
with ‘Don’t Want It Anymore’ and ‘Love Song’.
Then it's time
for the up tempo rocker ‘Angry’, a track that shows the modern side of the
new Vixen sound with another really gusty vocal performance by Sanz-Agero.
The classic
sound of Vixen isn’t totally forgotten on this album as ‘I’m Sorry’ shows,
but it’s the more rockier side of the band that make this album stand out
from previous Vixen material, as ‘You Wish’ and the Bowie cover
‘Suffragette City’ are two great examples of this, especially ‘Suffragette
City’ which is a real cracker of a cover version.
The album comes
to a close with ‘Give Me Away’ a much softer track than the previous two
and rounds off an album worthy of the Vixen name. |
