The Pretty Reckless
Death By Rock And Roll – Century Media Records
Ever since ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ hit the airwaves as the first single from debut album ‘Light Me Up’ the knives were out for Taylor Momsen. A rich kid buying her fame, a women using sex to sell her songs, the insults and baiting came thick and fast. And how did Momsen respond? Well, she simply let her music do the talking. Now with this fourth, and it has to be said straight away, best album to date, the doubters and haters have been soundly seen off. Many are now fans, converted by nothing more than song power. You have to give credit to Ben Philips, Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins too. There’s no doubt that the song writing is a team effort. The focus though, that is on the enigmatic and increasingly assured Momsen. It’s important to note that the current line-up has been together for over a decade, almost the entire life of the group. That stability has borne fruit through the continuity and maturing of their music. ‘Death By Rock And Roll’ isn’t a step forward like previous works though, this is a giant leap, almost a reinvention. It’s a hugely diverse work spanning near Sabbath heaviness at one end and kitsch country rock at the other. Somewhere in the middle is the song ‘25’ which, even for fans of The Pretty Reckless is a revelation. If you didn’t know it you’d think you were listening to a Bond theme. The song writing itself is gold plated class with a lovely arrangement and that film score feel. The vocals are, quite simply, superb, with a heady mix of super clean power and subtle rock fry blending with more delicate passages. This song showcases just how far The Pretty Reckless have come as a unit. ‘Death By Rock And Roll’ is a new benchmark, and a future classic. As for that title, well how else would you want to go?
The Pretty Reckless – Facebook
Review by Gary Trueman