Lookout Records. Album info: This is the third full length CD from Palo Alto, CA's favorite female Rock unit.
If you're even slightly interested in the current wave of bands putting more emphasis on the Rock part of Punk Rock, you know who The Donnas are. If you don't, "Turn 21" is a good introduction. These girls have plenty of attitude and the musical chops to back it up (listen to any of Donna R's leads if you don't believe me). Their style is heavily influenced by late 70's rock with the standout influences being Kiss, The Ramones, and (of course) The Runaways. Donna A's vocals are (thankfully) more Mick Jagger than Gwen Stefani, but her vocal style works perfectly with the music. "Turn 21" has some pretty slick production which may throw off old fans at first, but rest assured they haven't toned down their sound by any means. The only disappointment is that the backing vocals are not nearly as loud as they should be. Lyrically, the 70's rock themes of sex, drugs, and alcohol are fully represented but shouldn't be taken too seriously ("Police Blitz" is about persuading a cop to take a break from protecting the law and party like Cheech and Chong). 13 new tracks (with no duds) are represented here along with a very faithful cover of the Judas Priest classic "Living After Midnight". No, The Donnas are not breaking any new musical ground with their latest effort, but they know better than to repeat the mistakes of their 70's idols who tried to progress their sound to please critics and ended up with luke warm or downright awful results. Just like AC/DC, you know exactly what to expect when you buy a Donnas record and you know it's gonna rock.
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