Alannah Myles – Alannah Myles

Go ahead, finish sniggering. It’s fine by me, because I still love this record. This is perfectly produced studio late 80’s rock. Still Got This Thing For you kicks things off with full-out wailing vocals and ZZ Top riffage. Love Is still stomps around like a badass. What a cool song. And yes, just like all of you guys, I crushed on the Black Velvet video. We were, what, 15? Perfect timing. And a bluesy, relentlessly bassy tune, to boot. What did we care if it was about Elvis and, to a lesser degree, whiskey? Actually, wait, that makes it cooler.

Rock This Joint has a neat stutter-beat intro with absolutely killer guitar and a full-on rock freak-out with blistering guitar solo. I mean, if this doesn’t move you, you’ve gotta be dead. “I said hey,” indeed. Lover Of Mine is total cheese, but of course we all bought the sensitive side of the hard rockin’ chick. You sang along, admit it. Kick Start My Heart brings back the sing-along rawk attack. Seriously, these are some monster riffs. It’s the keyboards that anchor it in the era to which it belongs. If You Want To doesn’t really fit the record as much, a little less bluesy, a little more pop-oriented. Fine, OK.

Just One Kiss takes it one step further, melding those damned 80’s synths with the crunchy guitars of previous tracks. It’s still a big track. Who Loves You is the tender singer-songwriter introspective thing until it blows up into the big splash chorus. It’s here vocals that carry this one. And the bluesy slide guitar of Hurry Make Love bring everything back to where it ought to be. Haha don’t stay up watching tv, someone else might have me tonight. Go man, go!

A classic chunk of blues-rock from your past, and whether you admit it or not, there’s some stellar work on this album. If it’s been 22 years (my g-d) since you heard it, check it out again. You’ll love it.