THE STRADDLERZ – The Straddlerz (2021)
While based in Italy, core members of THE STRADDLERZ – female vocalist Linda Filippin and guitarist Michael Reynal met and formed the band in New York. On their upcoming self-titled debut “The Straddlerz” the duo conjures the best of their ’80s hard rock influences with tons of attitude.
Take a very aggressive front lady with a whole ton of gritty feminine sass and sex appeal like a slightly snarky Lee Aaron, toss in a great rock and roll guitarist that looks and play the ’80s part, and you have the recipe for tasty rawk and roll.
Shove in a bunch of solid guest musicians all tied together by producer Lase Salgado and it actually tuns out to be a whole table of meaty tunes spiced up enough to even bite the ears a time or three.
From the first bits of “No Changes”, you kind of get a hint that something good and rocking is present but once Filippin‘s vocals fire in, all guesses are gone. In rock and roll, there are powerful female vocals but when it comes to The Straddlerz, we’re talking a 100 miles past the tonsils, over the gums, and across the jaw to leave a mark. It’s fast, melodic and catchy – ticking all the boxes that I would want on an unadulterated hard rock song. One thing to note is how Linda mixes her vocals on the track – so perfectly that the instrumentation on the back is not spoiled or overshadowed.
The duo’s energy works perfectly with the loud guitars and kicking rhythm section of energetic tunes like second track “Streets of Love,” the very early ’80s L.A. metal sounding “Open Your Eyes,” as well as the bar blistering “I’m Alive.” There’s virtually something in the mix for just about every fan of loose sleazy rock and metal, and even with the grittier, raw edge courtesy of the final double blast of “Without You,” and “Junkie Bastard” that wraps a pounding crunch of a track up with slightly distorted vocals for a cool angst-filled effect.
On “Addiction” The Straddlerz lend their own take to a sort of metal ballad but not in a ‘soft way’ while “Circle of Insanity” starts off with a crazy arrangement but quickly jumps in to face melting mode driven by late 80s-type of riffing.
Perhaps the most ‘out there’ moment on the album is “Don’t Go Away,” an aggressive dark semi-ballad that walks an unusual line between early Alice Cooper and Aerosmith just with way more stabs of aggression. It’s a unique rock and roll blend of the expected and the unexpected, and it makes for a dirty aromatic breath of fresh rock and roll air.
One of the biggest highlights of this album is both Linda’s and Michael’s creative songwriting.
Thank the rock gods that no matter what, for real fans of rock and roll – despite what Gene Simmons keeps saying about the genre being dead – the real soldiers refuse to just toss over and die and because of that, bands like The Straddlerz will always be around to keep our rock and roll addictions fed.
Highly Recommended
01 – No Changes
02 – Streets of Love
03 – Addiction
04 – Circle of Insanity
05 – Open Your Eyes
06 – Don’t Go Away
07 – I’m Alive
08 – Without You
09 – Junkie Bastard
Linda Filippin – vocals
Michael Reynal – guitars
with:
Robert Abrams – drums
Santiago Rensonnet – drums
Jimmy Falawine – drums
Gary Hewes – bass
Alex Zanel – bass
Luke Lazy – bass
Edward – bass
Pablo Schmidt – guitar
Pre Order:
thestraddlerz.com/merch
