The Donnas--Spend The Night
Atlantic 2002
After four killer albums put out by indie label Lookout Records, The Donnas are making a jump to the big leagues on their Atlantic Records debut Spend The Night. Anyone expecting The Donnas to make a misstep during this transition are out of luck. On Spend The Night, everything that made The Donnas great before is still there, just bigger.
The Donnas have had a good thing going for a long while and thankfully haven't changed things much on their major label debut. This is the same great, fun rock party it always has been with this band. The lyrics are still the pinnacle of bratty vixen and the percussion is accentuated by more handclaps and cowbell shots than virtually any other band in existence. Where Spend The Night really trumps its predecessors is in its full-blown production. The Donnas still bear a large resemblance to the Runaways thanks to Donna A's always cool yet biting vocal delivery, but the way the guitars sound on Spend The Night is pure AC/DC. While this gloss and fullness of sound might lessen the vibe of other bands who've plied their trade in the underground, for The Donnas this change was almost a necessity. Their access to production capabilities has finally caught up to their songwriting, making The Donnas truly arena-ready.
Speaking of songs, Spend The Night kicks off with one of its best, "It's On The Rocks." One is immediately knocked backwards by this song's tearing wall of guitar. It's followed up by the album's first single, "Take It Off," which features some nice harmony guitar work in the bridge section. "Too Bad About Your Girl" sees The Donnas capturing a very vintage feeling 80's vibe in the intro section. From beginning to end, Spend The Night is jam packed with extremely fun and rocking material.
Some indie purists will bitch and moan about the label shift and upgraded production touches, but that's nothing more than lame scene politics. The truth is Spend The Night is a triumph and easily the best big-budget hard rock album in years. The Donnas next step in world domination is complete, so hold on tight--you're in for one hell of a party.
Get more info on this CD directly from THE DONNAS
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