The Bobbyteens--Cruisin' For A Bruisin'
Estrus 2004
There aren't many sure things in this life but the Bobbyteens delivering the rocking you need is one of them. Over the course of a few albums and several singles, this band has built a reputation for consistent greatness. On their latest release, Cruisin' For A Bruisin', the Bobbyteens have come up with more of the same great stuff.
For anyone not already familiar with the Bobbyteens sound, it's of the Runaways variety but with the emphasis being on punk, rock n' roll, and bubblegum as opposed to hard rock. There are many other bands mining similar ore but none of them able to deliver it as sweet or make it feel as dirty as the Bobbyteens do. Nothing about this music feels contrived or formulated--it all oozes out naturally as can be. Cruisin' For A Bruisin' gets a power boost from the type of raw-assed, lo-fi production we all can't get enough of. Perfect, just as expected.
Also as usual, the Bobbyteens hook machine is in overdrive on this batch of tunes. The lyrical themes are the same as always--making out, gettin' it on, and the bad reputations or broken hearts that come from doing so. From the handclap littered "Hot Sweet 'N' Sticky," to the tearjerking "Where Were You," right on up through the power pop of "Be My Baby" and "Dream It All Away," to the barnburning "One Night Stand," there isn't a single moment of letdown on Cruisin' For A Bruisin'. You even get a handful of flawless covers such as "He's So Dull," "Sweet Nothins," and "No Time." Alas, all questions about the greatness of this album are actually over by track three, "All In The Kiss," when frontvixen Tina makes dudes dreams come true worldwide with the opening line bellow "it's all in the kiss, baby...so come on, give it to ME." Again, pefect.
Yes, with the Bobbyteens, the question really isn't whether it's gonna be great or not, just to what degree it will be so. With Cruisin' For A Bruisin', the Bobbyteens have delivered gold to the absolute max, once again. They're still the reform school girl dropouts you dream of holing up with--and Russell beats the hell out of those drums, to boot. Buy this album and all in your world will likely seem a little more right.
Score this CD directly from ESTRUS
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