JANET GARDNER (Vixen) – Janet Gardner (2017)
A solo album wasn’t necessarily part of JANET GARDNER‘s master career plan. But a glut of material the Vixen frontwoman wrote with her husband, guitarist / producer Justin James (Tyketto), made her self-titled effort – coming out Friday, August 18 – inevitable.
“It sort of happened honestly,” Gardner said. “We set up a studio in our new house and we were both down there fiddling around, and eventually we started to exchange ideas. We probably had written about five songs and thought, ‘This is working pretty good. What are we gonna do with this?'”
Gardner and James initially thought about another group or duo name. “Then we said let’s call it my solo album. Why not? I’ve never done one. Even though it is a really strong collaboration, let’s call it that.”
So here she is, after almost 30 years of Vixen’s heyday, Janet Gardner is back with something that is more modern – and way better – than you’d expect.
The ten tracks on the album see Gardner team up with Justin James to come up with a collection that is resolutely hard rock, but also coming in with a harder edge than anything she might have done before.
Don’t worry, that classic late ’80s Vixen melodies are still all over the record.
The opener “Rat Hole” lays its cards out straight away. A first line that rhymes “suckers” with “dirty motherfuckers” is surely designed to say, “yeah this is me in 2017, love ain’t a killer anymore….” The music too, is tight, taut, modern and catchy.
Then “Hippycrite” does much the same, and comes in with a wave of really dark guitar over a melodic hard rock hook.
There is an absolute confidence here too. “If You Want Me” smashes down anything in its path and almost dares you to doubt that she means it. The sound, agin is modern, but the skeleton of the song is pure Vixen 1990.
Even more classic stuff arrive with midtempo ballad “Candle”, you’ll find the ’80s atmosphere all over, but there is nothing demur or weak about it. Instead it is an arena rocker that puts the likes of Halestorm to shame.
Songs – very deliberately you imagine – are kept short and to the point, but even then the likes of “Your Problem Now” know where the trouble is, and are happy to get amongst the fray.
The clever harmonies on “Let It Be Over” usher in what amounts to Gardner’s state of the union address, taking in environmental concerns as well as gun control laws and just about everything else, and the guitar solo here is particularly spectacular.
“Lost” juxtaposes all this nicely with a lighter melodic rock touch and killer verses, while “The Grind” comes on like an outtake from Motley’s “Generation Swine”.
“Best Friend” is the one foray into acoustics, but is superbly done – and indeed the record benefits from the stripped back breather.
Thing end with “The Good Or The Bye” and the bluesy hard rock boogie is a perfect illustration of why the album is so good. A cut that positively revels in dumping her man, in a way it brings things full circle.
“Janet Gardner” is a killer blend of modern sounding hard rock with an old school late ’80s flare that will turn the heads of generations of fans fo the genre.
Janet Gardner doesn’t need anyone in 2017. A record that began with the thought that this time she wasn’t suffering fools, ends with the very real suggestion that no one best dare get in her way.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 – Rat Hole
02 – Hippycrite
03 – If You Want Me
04 – Candle
05 – Your Problem Now
06 – Let It Be Over
07 – Lost
08 – The Grind
09 – Best Friend
10 – The Good or the Bye
Janet Gardner – vocals, guitat
Justin James – guitar, keyboards
Mike Thorn – bass
Denise Blair – drums
thanks to Andy Thorley
Pre Order:
www.amazon.de/Janet-Gardner/dp/B072QKGY71
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