Cherry Lips Cherry Lips
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
So, if some mad scientist thought to himself, “What would I get if I mixed the raucous rock ‘n’ roll vibe of AC/DC with the pop tendencies and sultriness of a band like The Go-Gos,” and went through with the experiment … he’d get the new Italian band Cherry Lips. Their self titled debut is an odd concoction of pared down Classic Rock compositions with just enough blatant femininity to make their music appeal to damn near everyone.
The all-female band consists of lead singer/guitarist Stefania, drummer Serena, bassist Karina and lead guitarist Elisa, and they are already making waves in Europe with their new video to the single “Mean, Hot & Nasty.” Watch it once, and you’ll see/hear why …
The debut takes off with “Dead or Alive (Are You?).” With a down-tuned riff from Stefania and Elisa intertwining her leads, you will be reminded of an older AC/DC track. They also have a ‘70s punk nuance to their songs, mostly because they are so straight ahead and uncomplicated in their delivery. Two things females are always judged on in the music industry is their musicianship in comparison to their male counterparts AND their physical appeal, and not necessarily in that order. So, to turn things around, yes, they are much hotter than their male counterparts.
You don’t really hear the strength of their songwriting until you hit “Stop Messin’ Around,” a funny, angst-packed anthem that flaunts their sense of humor and musical abilities. If you’ve heard the American band The Dollyrots, Cherry Lips’ “fun” level is oftentimes as immeasurable. Stefania doesn’t bother trying to put an edge to her voice, but instead sings with a playful and musical sneer at times. Since women just seem to carry a tune better than men, the backing vocals add a huge element to the powerful Rock chorus here.
The first single, “Mean, Hot & Nasty” is Cherry Lips channeling Motley Crue, circa 1982, on guitar. The opening riff is that metallic. These kind of “I’m hot” songs only work if they can sell it without sounding contrived, and Stefania slays as she sings, “I’m the devil’s recreation … I’ll show you heaven and then I’ll take you straight to Hell! I’ll make you scream, cuz I’m mean, hot & nasty.” Any good coach will tell you to play to your strengths, and Cherry Lips certainly do so on this track. You expect a wicked solo on this kind of song, but they don’t give you that solo until the end of the song, where Elisa really tears into a lengthy lead towards the end of the track.
One somewhat unexpected aspect to the release is that they didn’t write a ballad. The title “Heartbreaker” might make you expect a love song, but instead, it’s another Classic Rock composition, with a funky groove, with just bass and drums steering the track with upbeat guitar passages until the chorus. Where the other songs they are playing the dominant female side, they show a more sensitive side, and at least that some guy can be attractive as well. “Won’t you know me, and sit with me. Won’t you show me, what love can be?”
The earlier The Go-Gos reference was made for two reasons: number one, they are all women, and number two, they covered Cindy Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Now, that’s about as pop a hit as any band could cover, and they obviously chose it for cause and effect. For Hard Rock fans, if you didn’t like it the first time around, you won’t like it any better. Stefania doesn’t quite have the flexibility in her vocals as Lauper, and they turn it into a Garage Rock version. That being said, this is purely catering to their female audience, and why the hell shouldn’t they? You can’t deny the catchiness of the track, and if you are 6 or 60 years old, you’ll want to dance along.
The most interesting song on the entire release is the last one, “Narcissus.” You remember Narcissus, the dude in Greek mythology who was so beautiful that the only person alive good enough for him was himself? Long story short, he ended up gazing into his own reflection in a pond, and once realizing he couldn’t have himself (Onanism, anyone?), he basically killed himself and was sent to Hell. Anyway … “Narcissus” is a slower, moody song, unlike any other on the album. Stefania’s shining moment as a singer is this song as well, because those limitations you thought you heard early on are buried: she sings softly, with musicality, with passion and with a sense of longing.
Cherry Lips may be a secret known mostly in Italy and in Europe right now, but there hasn’t really been an all-female band to make big Rock noise in quite a while. Sure, The Spice Girls did, but that’s not even music. Females seem to find the most success in Heavy Metal right now either singing death/black vocals (Arch Enemy) or operatic vocals with a Symphonic Metal band (Nightwish). It’s nice to see four women not take themselves to either extreme and just play Rock ‘n’ Roll the way it is meant to be played.
Label: Swedmetal Records
Track listing:
01. Dead or Alive? (Are You)
02. Haunted
03. Stop Messin’ Around
04. Right Now
05. Mean Hot And Nasty
06. On My Own
07. Back For More
08. Shadow
09. The Race is On
10. Heartbreaker
11. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
12. Narcissus
HRH Rating: 7.7/10