DOROTHY – RockIsDead (2016)

Upon the first listen of Wicked Ones, the promotional single from DOROTHY‘s full length debut “RockIsDead“, I knew this band was something special. Fronted by incredible female vocalist Dorothy Martin, DOROTHY (the band name being in all caps, isn’t a typo) is anything but triumphant, confident arena rock at its absolute finest, and “RockIsDead” is an album not to be missed.

Based in L.A., DOROTHY includes lead singer Dorothy Martin, Zac Morris on drums, DJ Black on guitar, and Gregg Cash on bass. Though the real star of the show is Dorothy Martin. The confidence, raw talent, and attitude that allowed singers like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar or Ann Wilson to shine decades ago runs strong in Martin today. Martin’s vocals give DOROTHY modern interpretation of a classic rock sound.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard a DOROTHY song before and just haven’t been able to put a name to the band. Their songs have been featured on Pretty Little Liars, Orange Is The New Black, and even the DLC trailer for Tom Clancy’s The Division.

The whole band sounds & feels authentic, but as said, it’s Martin’s incredible lead whose voice will shake many an arena in the future. She’s so confidently the heart and soul of these songs and is a force to be reckoned with. And that cannot be understated.
Her persona in the songs takes no shit, gives no fucks, and will get down and dirty with the rest of them. That is how Martin differentiates herself from modern contemporaries. But where the others might go for sass, Martin chooses confrontation instead.
Despite that, there is nothing presumptuous or cocky about Martin. She’s just pure talent.

And there’s more depth on “RockIsDead” than one might immediately expect. DOROTHY backbone is basically classic rock with some traditional hard rock touches in a vintage style, conjuring from early Heart / Ann Wilson with Led Zeppelin, to Janis Joplin with Lenny Kravitz (weird? not at all!).
There is something on this album for everyone. ‘Kiss It’ has some Joan Jett on it with a catchy bluesy riff envelope, the groovy ‘Dark Nights’ adds a swamp rock feel with stadium choruses and an infectious riff, and ‘Wicked Ones’ with the sing-along “ah ah ah..” call-and-response chorus is an earworm you can’t shake until too much whiskey has knocked you out cold.

‘Whiskey Fever’ is a thumping ode to that brown liquor all on a very ’80s sounding package, while ‘Woman’ is some kind of ballad but with lots of guitar fuzz and Martin’s sloe-eyed sex appeal vocals.
In ‘Gun In My Hand’ the band mix some Americana that works greatly, then ‘Medicine Man’ evokes very early Eighties Heart.
More variation appears in ‘After Midnight’, a dynamic rocker with a Black Sabbath-like bass/guitar riffs blended with blues matched only by Martin’s skyrocketing vocals. It’s high wattage, sometimes too high causing a blinding glare but it’s the stuff that Martin thrives on.
‘Missile’ is perhaps the more commercial track, anthemic with claps ala We Are The Champions yet with an unmistakable American feel. And if you need an emotional ballad, there’s ‘Shelter’ and its bluesy heart.

Blending classic rock, blues, crowd-pleasing stadium rock and some traditional hard rock, DOROTHY’s full length debut “RockIsDead” is a terrific collection of pure rock songs around the 3-minute mark plenty of heart & soul. Dorothy Martin not only looks hot, she’s a darn great singer and a complete revelation.
If there’s was a needed succession for Heart / Wilson sisters in the American scene, look no more, DOROTHY / Dorothy Martin is the real deal.
Naming the album “RockIsDead” is pure irony, as the quality all over this CD prove the album’s title to be dead wrong… true Rock ‘n Roll is still alive in America.
HIGHLY Recommended

 

01 – Kiss It
02 – Dark Nights
03 – Raise Hell
04 – Wicked Ones
05 – Gun In My Hand
06 – Medicine Man
07 – Woman
08 – Whiskey Fever
09 – After Midnight
10 – Missile
11 – Shelter
12 – Wild Fire (bonus track)
13 – Bang Bang Bang (bonus track)

Dorothy Martin – vocals
DJ Black – guitar
Gregg Cash – bass
Zac Morris – drums

 

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/ROCKISDEAD-Dorothy/dp/B01EYNG5BG