2016 really is proving to be a bad year for celebrity deaths, particularly in the music world. But Debbie Harry’s death bypassed me, and I only learned of it on reading the press release for Bree’s new album, which tells me ‘you immediately get to wonder if you’ve finally stumbled across a reincarnated Debbie Harry.’ Being unaware of her passing, I hadn’t been waiting that long, but nevertheless, I’m glad Bree’s here to fill the gap.
So, hyped as being ‘like CBGBS-era Debbie Harry fronting one of the most powerful rock rhythm sections in Music City’, East Nashville’s Bree combines punk energy with pop accessibility. That doesn’t make ‘New Skin’ pop-punk in the contemporary sense: this is very much music born of a late 70s vintage. The album is very much geared toward the uptempo, the energetic and punchy. Vocally, she’s got just enough grit and has mastered the ‘grrrr’ throaty thing. Strong as she is vocally, and nippy as the songs are, it’s the chunky musical backing that really makes it: the drums are thumping and up in the mix, and the guitars are solid. In all, it’s an assured and enjoyable album.
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