CHERIE CURRIE – Reverie (2015)

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CHERIE CURRIE burst onto the public stage as the lead singer of The Runaways. Since the 2010 biography feature film The Runaways reminded everyone that Joan Jett and Lita Ford were once part of a pioneering all-girl band, Currie has made a concerted effort to regain a foothold in the music world.
It hasn’t been easy, as she spent countless hours in the studio with various vested parties and entities that ultimately cut her recording efforts short before they even gained traction. That put a real damper on things.
More recently, however, the support of her musician son Jake Hays, along with renewed associations with the late Runaways mastermind Kim Fowley and former bandmate Lita Ford, helped her realize the dream of “Reverie“, her first album in 35 years.

Back in the in the mid-seventies, Joan Jett and eccentric producer/songwriter Kim Fowley walked into an all ages club in Hollywood looking for a singer. She had to sing a little bit yeah, but if she was hot they could probably work around those smaller details.
They happened upon a 15-year old blonde bombshell named Cherie Currie. Kim and Joan, and Cherie herself for that matter, didn’t really know if she could sing. Having no prior experience or formal training, she auditioned for the job with the sly and sultry classic, “Fever”.
Kim and Joan were looking for a more balls-to-the-wall rock song, so they wrote a raw fist-pumping anthem that toyed with the name of their young candidate. They wrote “Cherry Bomb” on the spot, Cherie sunk her teeth deep into the song, and the rest – as they say – is history.
The Runaways were born. Cherie Currie was the prettiest face that hard rock had ever seen, and all kinds of doors fell opened for female rockers.

Fast forward 2015 and we still have a stunning blonde rock star – now 55 instead of 15 – and most of her audience has not heard her sing in over 35 years. I think the older fan wants more than a pretty face at this point, so the big question is can she bring some vocal prowess to a new set of songs?
This is a question that gets answered in the very first song from “Reverie”. It’s the title track, and it sent a shiver down your spine.
Written with her son Jake Hays, “Reverie” is a soaring, vocally driven rocking song. My first thought was, this is the best vocal performance that she’s ever recorded. She was an angst-ridden dynamo in her teen years with The Runaways, but her voice has matured into one with immense depth and shockingly great tone.

The ten songs on this record may not be what you expect. Currie fronted a band that was all about being aggressive, naughty, and in-your-face. This record reminisces in that spirit a little bit, but much of what’s here is finely crafted Rock art more than teen angst.
“Reverie” is also the final work of Kim Fowley. Two Fowley-penned Runaways songs are covered here in the form of “Is It Day Or Night” and “American Nights” (with fellow Runaways bandmate Lita Ford lending her voice to both tracks).
He is also featured as a co-writer on the songs “Dark World” (another track featuring Lita Ford), “Inner You,” “I’m Happy,” and “Queen Of The Asphalt Jungle”. With the exception of the latter, these songs are emotionally moody and lyrically deep with an intriguing, mature sound.

“Queen Of The Asphalt Jungle” is more of what you might expect; an instant hard rock song that has Currie taking on more of the rocker chick persona that she’s famous for. And, although it’s great to hear Currie return with solid rockers like “Queen Of The Asphalt Jungle,” the majesty of this record lies in its maturity.
Jake Hays is a huge part of this record, offering his talents as songwriter on seven of the ten tracks. He also plays just about every instrument here, along with being producer or co-producer on the entire record.
Jake is Currie’s son with actor Robert Hays, and it seems the talented bloodline has continued on in good fashion.

One of my favorite tracks, “Shades Of Me,” puts Hays’ singing talents on display, in an effective duet with Cherie with tons of texture. “Inner You,” a song written by Hays and Currie with Kim Fowley, is another solid cut that lives with you after a few listens.
But, it’s a song called “Believe” that really shows the growth of Cherie Currie and her instrument. “Believe” is a beautifully arranged mid-tempo ballad with a beautifully lush orchestral arrangement and a tremendous vocal part from Currie.

I must also mention the standout quality of the overall sound of the record. Hays does a fine job producing, and Brant Biles should be applauded for his mix and engineering of the material. Biles has worked with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Bonnie Raitt to Lisa Loeb and Gwar, and he lays down a mix here that has every element shining as brightly as possible.

The wait to hear this return of Cherie Currie was a brutal form of torture for Runaways fans. We’ve had great Joan Jett songs, and Lita Ford has done her share of excellent solo work over the years, but there has always been an emptiness to it all for the purest of Runaways fans.
Cherie Currie was our Cherry Bomb, our blonde bombshell, and we wanted to hear from her. With her autobiography, Neon Angel: The Memoir Of A Runaway, inspiring the Runaways biopic, we were able to ride along with Currie on a life adventure that saw her go through Hell and back many times over.
Now it’s time to ride with her on the next journey. A journey that starts with a great record called “Reverie”.

01 – Reverie
02 – Inner You
03 – Is It Day or Night?
04 – Shades of Me
05 – Queen of the Asphalt Jungle
06 – American Nights
07 – Dark World
08 – Believe
09 – I’m Happy
10 – Another Dream

Cherie Currie: Lead & Background Vocals
Jake Hays: Guitar, Drums, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Lita Ford: Lead & Background Vocals (duet on 3, 6)
Nick Maybury: Guitars
Grant Fitzapatrick: Bass
Cliff Retallick: Piano, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Mike Wolf, Jonathan Barrick Griffiths: Strings
Mitch Perry: Slide Guitar
Mickey Miller: Guitars, Percussion, Background Vocals
Elizabeth Aston, Patrick Golenberg, Nick Bral: Background Vocals

BUY IT !
itunes.apple.com/us/album/reverie/id976269503
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