Retrosexual

Artist: Bebe Buell
Label: Skydog France
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 3307516226625
ASIN: B00004V2GA

Release Date: 2004-11-30

Retrosexual

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Gargoyle
Lust Never Sleeps
Cosmic Kiss
Bored Baby
Top of the Pops
Little Bit O' Whore
Jacuzzi Jungle
13 Wrong Turns
Claw Bite
I'll Be Your Sister

Customer Reviews:

A REAL ROCKER.......2005-12-21

I'm certainly not a know-it-all when it comes to music or anything else but I know what I like and I like this. I wasn't exactly sure what was in store for me when I first got this cd but I figured it was worth a shot. Knowing Bebe Buell's involvment in the music scene over the past few decades it was apparent to me that she at least has good taste. That doesn't necessarily guarantee anything. You can like to eat gormet food but does that make you a master chef? Well folks, get out your fork and dig right in. Bebe and her bandmates deliver a master blend of some raw and spicy morsels here. Doing a few choice covers penned by The Smithereens, Motorhead and Johnny Thunders combined with some fairly catchy originals makes for a pretty well rounded banquet of rawkus sound. The very competent Bebe really exhibits a true grasp of the garage-punk spirit with her gravely, growling yet melodic vocal stylings.

I pretty much concur with most of what the previously posted review here (by solinas) has to say so I won't be redundant and repeat those points. The one exception is that, as far as the songwriting goes, frankly, I see as what some might describe as clumsy to be rather etherial and adds an artistic edge and uniqueness. I couldn't tell you for certain what my favorite song on the album is as it depends on what day you ask. I can honestly say that there aren't any songs on "Retrosexual" that I don't like. I listen to this CD alot.

Worked up so Retrosexual.......2005-01-11

"Cause while you're busy messing up/I'm earnestly copping some licks!" Apparently that's just what she did -- Bebe Buell is known for being the mother of actress Liv Tyler, and the ex-paramour of quite a few rock stars. Guess what: she's a rocker in her own right, and "Retrosexual" proves that.

Hard-edged rock opens up the album, with the grinding guitars and bass of "Gargoyle" and the percussion/bass smack-down of "Lust Never Sleeps." She gets romantic in "Cosmic Kiss," with lines like "wrap me up in your cosmic kiss/I always wanted it to feel like this." But she sticks close to the grittier side of rock, even giving a solid, catchy cover to Johnny Thunders' "Little Bit O' Whore."

A bit of Buell's own life seeps in, as she talks about a "a girl, a girl/a princess who couldn't take care of herself" who learns how to rock on her own. "Claw Bite" deserves special notice. It's a bouncy, peppy rocker, and probably the best song I've ever heard about "lobster boys." I dare you not to start grinning at this one.

Strictly speaking, "Retrosexual" is not a new album -- it's a collection of Buell's work from over many years, now collected on CD rather than vinyl. Bebe is not up to the level of Joan Jett and other female rock giants, but she obviously has the snarl, swagger and smile for the job. I guess you can't run with rock stars for thirty-plus years without getting a knack for it.

Buell has a pretty solid rock voice, throaty and snarly. She's also able to purr her songs in a way that's both threatening and sultry. It's a bit offputting when she lets rip with some high-pitched squeals in "Claw Bite," though. Her songwriting is clumsy in places ("Cover me in your lonesome fire/Speak to me with your cross-fire choir"), but the flaws are easy to overlook.

And Buell lets the spotlight shine on the assorted musicians who back her up; in the first song, she stops singing to let the guitars and bass take center stage. The instrumentation is quite solid, although done by different people over the years. It could use a bit less of that hard-rock/metal crunching, but it has the garagey feel to pull it off.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

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The Beginning : An Introduction to Irish Dancing ~ Various Artists

Zerosto De Ikou ~ Various Artists

Chanson Flamenca ~ Various Artists

Ana Salvagni ~ Ana Salvagni

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